Lidl GB reached practical completion on its £300 million regional distribution centre in September 2023, making it the largest Lidl warehouse in the world. The discount food retailer has a new store target of 1,100 stores by the end of 2025.
The 1.2 million-square-foot centre will be delivering over 9,400 pallets a day across 150 stores. This compares with its existing distribution centres, which service between approximately 60-80 stores.
About the Project: This is the first Lidl GB warehouse with automation, helping to store more goods and increase capacity at the distribution centre. It also features solar panels that are set to generate 2 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually. At certain times of the year the warehouse will run purely on solar power. Its delivery fleet is fuelled by biogas from food waste, supporting the discounter’s ambition to have 100% of its fleet diesel free by 2030. All these characteristics means it was awarded 'Commercial Development of the Year for the East of England' in CoStar's Impact Awards.
What the Judges Said: Steve Norris, chairman, Soho Estates said, "Great job creation, good for competition on the grocery market and a great investment in UK", while Ben Oughton, director, Jaynic, commented: "This is a major scheme in terms of size and investment level, creating 1,500 new jobs within logistics which is one of the fasted growing contributors to the UK economy."
They Made It Happen: Richard Taylor, UK chief development officer, Lidl.