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Lidl creates 500 new jobs with opening of £55m Exeter distribution centre

The discount supermarket has opened its largest ever warehouse in the UK ahead of a busy Christmas period

Shafi Musaddique
Friday 10 November 2017 13:26 GMT
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Lidl is the UK's fastest growing supermarket
Lidl is the UK's fastest growing supermarket

Lidl has started operations at its largest ever distribution centre in the UK as the budget supermarket continues its rapid expansion.

The discount supermarket said the opening of the Exeter distribution centre, its 12th in the UK, has created around 500 local jobs.

The £55m Exeter warehouse is Lidl’s third to open in the past year and will service 51 stores across the South West region.

As retailers prepare for a busy Christmas period, Lidl’s new warehouse is expected to handle 40,000 turkeys, 1.5 million boxes of mince pies and 100,000 bottles of prosecco in the week leading up to Christmas day.

The announcement comes after the retailer promised to increase wages for its lowest paid workers on Monday.

Entry-level wages at Lidl will go up from £8.45 to £8.75 per hour out of London and £9.75 to £10.20 within the capital, in-line with the increase in living wage which was also announced on Monday.

“The South West is an important region for Lidl and it’s an area where we’ve experienced particularly strong growth” said Mark Henry, regional director at Lidl.

“We remain committed to creating high-quality jobs for the communities we serve and this new centre gives us another great opportunity to do just that.”

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