Lidl UK has exchanged contracts on a 34-acre site in Peterborough where it plans to build its largest regional distribution centre (RDC) in Britain.
Construction of the new facility, which is set to span 754,000 sq ft, is part of the discounter’s plans to invest £1.45bn in its UK operations by the end of 2018.
Provided that Lidl UK obtains the necessary planning permission for the site, the new warehouse will be the supermarket’s sixth new RDC to be announced in the past year and, when it is eventually opened, its 15thin total, creating up to 500 jobs for the Peterborough area.
It will manage the supply and distribution of food and non-food items to stores in the surrounding area, using energy-efficient and zero-carbon technologies, the supermarket chain reported.
Head of warehouse expansion Adrienne Howells said: “We are very excited about our proposed regional distribution centre in Peterborough. Our expansion across the UK is progressing rapidly, and it’s important we have the right supply chain infrastructure to support this.'
He added: 'Peterborough is ideally located and we’re pleased to be bringing more jobs to the local community”.
Earlier this year, the grocer opened its 11th new warehouse in Wednesbury in the West Midlands, and more recently it began construction of RDCs in both Doncaster and Scotland. Its Scottish distribution centre is relocating to larger premises in the Eurocentral industrial estate between Glasgow and Edinburgh in North Lanarkshire.
A further warehouse in Bolton is also in the pipeline, along with the relocation of Lidl’s Weston-Super-Mare distribution centre to Avonmouth.
Since Lidl first opened its doors in the UK in 1994 it has opened 670 stores, highlighting its strong growth. The retailer was the UK’s fastest growing supermarket in the 12 weeks to 19 September, according to Kantar, with sales up 19.2 per cent year on year and a market share high of 5.3 per cent.
