Lidl

Lidl is set to open a £70m distribution centre in Doncaster, South Yorkshire as it forges ahead with its three-year UK expansion.

The 628,000 sq ft warehouse - which will be the 13th in the UK for the discounter and its largest to date - comes after it opened a £55m facility in Southampton last month.

The supermarket was unable to tell The Grocer when work would begin on building the new hub, which will eventually create up to 500 jobs in the region.

Lidl currently has 10 warehouses in Britain and earlier this year announced it would open two new warehouses in Wednesbury and Exeter, as well as expand its regional distribution centres in Newton Aycliffe and Runcorn.

“With more British customers choosing Lidl as their family supermarket we are laser-focused on the sustainable growth of our business,” said Adrienne Howells, Lidl UK’s head of warehouse expansion.

“We are, therefore, thrilled to be in a position to confirm our 13th distribution centre in Great Britain, bringing investment to Doncaster, new jobs and additional support to our existing and future stores in the north of England.”

The new warehouse will see Lidl join Amazon and other household names at iPort, Verdion’s £500m logistics development in Doncaster.

Michael Hughes, CEO of Verdion, added: “We are delighted to announce this significant signing of another well-known name at iPort. Lidl is a strong operator with great confidence in the region, bringing with it many new job opportunities for Doncaster and the surrounding areas.”