More stores will bring Scots produce to your doorstep

Shoppers will be able to pick up more food produced in Scotland in the near future.

Lidl has announced it will be recruiting over 300 new members of staff in Scotland over the next 18 months, as the leading discounter presses ahead with its ambitious expansion plans across the country.

The current growth plans include five brand new stores, including Scotland’s first Lidl ‘metropolitan’ store in Edinburgh, as well as Paisley, Dumbarton, Giffnock and East Kilbride, which will each create up to 40 jobs in their respective communities.

As part of the supermarket’s commitment to modernise, Scotland will also see a programme of rebuilds, refurbishments and extensions across many of Lidl’s existing Scottish stores. Of those, Glasgow, Motherwell, Aberdeen and Ayr customers will be the first to benefit bigger stores, new state-of-the-art facilities, and employment opportunities locally.

A number of roles will also be available at Lidl’s brand new regional distribution centre (RDC) in Eurocentral, which will open in 2019.

A recruitment drive over the next 18 months will see up to 100 vacancies become available in a myriad of departments including operations, maintenance, logistics and office support.

New recruits at the warehouse will help ensure that all Lidl stores across Scotland, from Kirkwall to Stranraer, are always stocked with its fresh, locally sourced, high quality products. A further 250 jobs will be created as the warehouse gradually reaches full capacity.

Lidl is opening more stores across Scotland

Offering one of the best rates of pay in the industry, at a minimum of £8.75 per hour, Lidl prides itself on rewarding its employees with a host of employee benefits including staff discount, extensive training, enhanced maternity packages, pension scheme and excellent opportunities for progression and development. Jobs will be advertised on Lidl UK’s career website  over the next 18 months.

This renewed investment comes as Lidl’s expansion in the UK continues apace. The latest Kantar Worldpanel1 data from June showed that Lidl was the only bricks and mortar retailer in the UK to experience double-digit sales growth, at 10%.

Ross Millar, regional director for Scotland at Lidl UK, said: ‘We at Lidl are incredibly proud to be part of a business that is able to positively impact so many of our customers’ lives, through the availability and accessibility of quality fresh products, at market-leading value.

‘This is only made possible through the hard work and dedication of our existing 2200 workforce, and we’re therefore delighted to be in a position to create new jobs and welcome even more colleagues into the Lidl family.

‘We strongly believe in investing in our people, which is why we offer market-leading pay, great benefits and extensive development and training opportunities, and urge anyone interested in working with us, to keep an eye out for jobs on our careers site.’