By Laura McGuire
Lidl has opened its biggest warehouse worldwide, which is worth £300m, in Luton creating over 1,000 new jobs.
The German discounter said the 1.2m sq ft site in Houghton Regis, Luton, will service 150 stores and open up 1,500 new positions.
The regional distribution centre (RDC) will feature solar panels that are set to generate 2m kWH of electricity annually. At certain times of the year the warehouse will run purely on solar power.
Additionally all of the new warehouse’s delivery fleet is fuelled by biogas from food waste, in line with the company’s aim to render 100 per cent of its fleet diesel free by 2030.
“It’s fantastic to see Lidl investing in the UK and creating thousands more well-paid jobs,” Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, said.
“As our plan to halve inflation this year and grow the economy bears fruit, businesses can be confident that investing in the UK is the right decision.”
Lidl previously said it was planning to open a further 200 stores across London in the coming years as soaring food costs have continued to drive demand for discount supermarkets.
“Demand for Lidl has never been higher, and we are seeing an increasing number of people walk through our doors to make savings on every shop,” Richard Taylor, chief development officer at Lidl GB, said.
“The fact that Lidl’s largest RDC in the world is here in Great Britain speaks for itself not only in terms of us needing to meet the growing demand from customers, but also in terms of our ambition to grow that demand in the future.”
