Lidl opens Southampton distribution centre as part of UK expansion plans
Lidl UK has opened its tenth UK distribution centre in Southampton. The move has created up to 400 local jobs.
At 39,000 square metres, the warehouse is the retailer’s biggest to date and represents an investment of 55 million.
Part of Lidl’s ongoing UK expansion plans, the facility will service stores in and around Hampshire, Dorset and West Sussex and wil support Lidl’s operations in the south of England.
The retailer, which opened its first UK distribution centre in 1994, also has warehouses in Northfleet, Enfield, Belvedere, Livingston, Weston-Super-Mare, Lutterworth, Newton Aycliffe, Runcorn and Bridgend.
Earlier in the year, Lidl announced that it would be relocating its warehouses in Weston-Super-Mare and Livingston to Bristol and Eurocentral respectively, as well as opening two new warehouses in Wednesbury and Exeter. It will also expand its facilities in Newton Aycliffe and Runcorn.
The opening of Lidl’s Southampton centre follows the commitment made in November 2015 to invest £1.5 billion over the next three years as it continues to expand its warehouses and 640 strong store portfolio to accommodate growth in the UK.
Marco Ivone, regional director at Lidl UK, said: “The opening of our new Southampton RDC marks an incredibly exciting time for the business, particularly in the South. Not only is it necessary to accommodate the scale of our existing and future operations in the area, we have been able to create significant job opportunities as a result of the new warehouse and will continue to invest in the South as we move forward with our expansion plans.”
Lidl achieved a record turnover of ￡4.7 billion for the 2015 financial year. In addition, the latest Kantar Worldpanel figures show a market share high of 4.6% and year-on-year sales growth of 8.4%.
