Lidl hiring 1,200 staff as it opens new ‘super warehouse’ in the UK

Supermarket-giant Lidl is hiring 1,200 more workers as it opens a new super warehouse in Luton, which will be its largest site in the world. The new hub, based near the Woodside Link road close to J11a of the M1, is 1.2million sq ft in size, which is equivalent to 8 full-size football pitches or 20 St Paul’s Cathedrals. The warehouse will supply food to 150 Lidl stores in London and surrounding counties and will welcome more than 1,000 new staff by the end of 2025. What roles are on offer? Lidl is hiring in roles ranging from warehouse workers and managers, to support staff in HR and payroll teams. Hourly-paid staff will receive £10.10 an hour, while managers earn up to £80,000 and get a company car. In February, the discounter opened 13 new stores, including Hounslow, Burton-Upon-Trent and Blairgowrie and hired around 250 more staff. Ryan McDonnell, Lidl GB chief executive, said: “This new distribution centre – the largest in any Lidl market globally – signifies our continued commitment to expansion across Great Britain and the creation of local jobs. “Our competitive pay and benefits is already helping to attract new colleagues, and we’re looking forward to welcoming 1,200 new people to our workforce soon.” In addition to the 1,200 warehouse staff, Lidl is hiring 3,000 more people across the UK. Mr McDonnell added: “We are shocked and saddened by the events unfolding in Ukraine. As an international business, we are donating €10million (£8.3million) in funds, food, textiles and hygiene products in the neighbouring countries to Ukraine to get essential products as quickly as possible to those displaced by the crisis.” Did Lidl raise wages over the pandemic? From March 2022, Lidl increased its pay rate for new shop floor workers from £9.50 to £10.10 an hour outside London and from £10.85 to £11.30 inside London. Wages will also rise for long-term staff to £11.40 and £12.25 outside and inside London respectively, depending on the length of their service. This represents a pay rise of more than 6% for some of the 21,000 Lidl staff members. Staff over 23 years old will benefit from 60p per hour more than the National Living Wage as the supermarket claims Lidl is now the highest-paying grocer in the country. Bosses say the extra £18million spend by the business on the new wages equates to £50million invested in hourly wage increases over the past five years. This investment follows a £200 bonus to all frontline workers this year, alongside £150 gift vouchers for all staff in 2020 during the pandemic.