Lidl has announced it will open a number of new stores before Christmas, creating a further 400 jobs in the sector ahead of the festive season.
The new stores include London sites in Hoxton, Forest Gate and Caterham, while three existing stores that have either been relocated or refurbished and extended will reopen, including Chessington, Connah’s Quay and Dagenham Heathway,
The news comes as Lidl exchanges on a sale and leaseback deal with a joint venture between Roadside Real Estate Plc and Meadow Partners worth £70m.
The deal includes 12 new stores in locations such as Crediton, Manchester, and Saffron Walden.
Richard Taylor, Chief Development Officer at Lidl GB, said: “Our plan to open 10 new stores before Christmas demonstrates our continued commitment to providing more communities across the country with access to affordable, quality food, as well as employment opportunities.
“But we still have big ambitions for our expansion plans to open hundreds more Lidl stores in the future.
“Our teams are constantly scouring the country for new sites, identifying opportunities not just in towns where we don’t currently have stores, but also in areas where existing stores are experiencing increasing demand.
“Our sale and leaseback deal is just the latest example of how we’re continuing to expand our footprint across the country, ensuring that even more households can benefit from a Lidl store nearby.”
Lidl announces pay rise for staff
Earlier this year, the supermarket announced it was increasing pay for hourly-paid workers to a minimum of £12.40 across the country, up from £12.
In London, workers will see entry level pay rise to £13.65, up from £13.55. The new base rates equal the best hourly pay in the sector.
Lidl has a total of 960 stores across the UK and employs more than 32,000 people.
Lidl’s hourly pay rates for colleagues also increase with length of service, with pay reaching £13.00 nationally and £14.00 within London.
Ryan McDonnell, CEO at Lidl GB, said: “As we continue to expand, we are welcoming more customers and attracting more colleagues into the business every day. It’s absolutely right, therefore, that we continue to offer industry-leading pay”.
Stephanie Rogers, Chief Human Resources Officer at Lidl GB, added: “The critical role that our colleagues play in driving our growth is always front of mind for us, which is why we’re committed to offering extremely competitive pay alongside a raft of other benefits.
“We want to continue to support and strengthen the teams that run our stores and warehouses every day, whilst attracting the best new talent. This latest investment helps us to do just that”.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here