World’s largest Lidl warehouse opens in Beds after ?300m build

Lidl has opened a new warehouse in Bedfordshire following a £300m investment. The new facility is the largest Regional Distribution Centre (RDC) in the world.

The 1.2 million square foot RDC, which is half a kilometre in length and could fit three of Lidl’s existing warehouses inside, is located in Houghton Regis and will be delivering over 9,400 pallets a day across 150 stores. The brand's existing distribution centres service between approximately 60-80 stores.

It will be the first Lidl GB warehouse to feature automation, helping to store more goods and increase capacity at the distribution centre. It’s also been designed with sustainability at the forefront, featuring solar panels and a delivery fleet entirely run by biogas.

Richard Taylor, Chief Development Officer at Lidl GB, said: "The opening of this new RDC in Luton is a seminal moment for Lidl GB. Demand for Lidl has never been higher, and we are seeing an increasing number of people walk through our doors to make savings on every shop.

"The fact that Lidl's largest RDC in the world is here in Great Britain speaks for itself not only in terms of us needing to meet the growing demand from customers, but also in terms of our ambition to grow that demand in the future. It is a spectacular state-of-the-art site that our team has worked incredibly hard on to get to where we are today.

"It has the capacity to service 150 stores, which is nearly triple the amount of some of our existing warehouses, demonstrating the true scale of our ambition and growth potential."

Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said: "It’s fantastic to see Lidl investing in the UK and creating thousands more well-paid jobs. As our plan to halve inflation this year and grow the economy bears fruit, businesses can be confident that investing in the UK is the right decision."

References

1. ^{^} Plans for 136 new flats in Luton on former self-storage site move forward (www.bedfordshirelive.co.uk)