Lidl to create over 1,200 warehouse jobs in Luton

Lidl  Trolleys are lined up next to the main entrance of the new Lidl supermarket in Kloten near Zurich March 11, 2009. The discount supermarket chain will open its thirteen first supermarkets in Switzerland on next March 19. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann  (SWITZERLAND BUSINESS FOOD DRINK)
Lidl offers a wage of £10.10 per hour. Photo: Reuters (Christian Hartmann / reuters)

Lidl will create more than 1,200 new warehouse jobs by the end of 2025 as it begins recruitment for its new Regional Distribution Centre in Luton.

The discounter will be looking to fill a wide range of roles over the course of the next year, from warehouse operatives and operations managers to support roles in HR and payroll.

Hourly paid staff will receive Lidl’s hourly wage of £10.10, higher than both the government’s national living wage and the current recommended real living wage.

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Ryan McDonnell, CEO at Lidl GB said: “This new distribution centre – the largest in any Lidl market globally – signifies our continued commitment to expansion across Great Britain and the creation of local jobs.

"At a time when many households are struggling, we are more focused than ever on giving more communities access to our unrivalled quality-value combination, whilst taking care of our own colleagues by paying them wages that are higher than the cost of living.

“Our competitive pay and benefits is already helping to attract new colleagues, and we’re looking forward to welcoming 1,200 new people to our workforce soon.”

Lidl has been expanding in the UK and last month opened 13 stores across the country, including in Hounslow, Burton-Upon-Trent and Blairgowrie, which collectively created approximately 520 new jobs.

The supermarket also has more than 3,000 jobs currently available across the country and has been in contact with government to express its desire to help refugees from Ukraine with work opportunities.

McDonnell added: “We are shocked and saddened by the events unfolding in Ukraine. As an international business, we are donating €10m in funds, food, textiles and hygiene products in the neighbouring countries to Ukraine to get essential products as quickly as possible to those displaced by the crisis.

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“In addition to this we are keen to explore ways in which we can provide support here in Great Britain. We have thousands of live job vacancies and so we are in contact with government to understand how we can help individuals coming from Ukraine with employment opportunities”.

The new 1.2 million sq ft distribution centre in Luton will be the first Lidl distribution centre to feature automation and is set to open in 2023.

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