Lidl is to create 5,000 jobs in London and invest £70 million (€83.4m) in a new UK headquarters in the capital as the German supermarket reaffirms its commitment to Britain following Brexit.
The budget retailer said the jobs are part of plans to open nearly 250 new stores in London as it pushes ahead with a three-year £1.5 billion UK investment plan.
Lidl has also received planning permission for a 22,296.7sq m (240,000sq ft) head office in Tolworth, Kingston, where it will move 450 staff from Wimbledon.
Ingo Fischer, Lidl UK board director, said: “Our new headquarters not only signify an investment in our own infrastructure and workforce, but also highlight our wider investment ambitions within London as Lidl UK continues to experience incredible growth.”
The group employs 19,000 in the UK and has been stepping up the expansion of its UK operations of late.
It plans to more than double the number of British stores to 1,500, recently opened a distribution centre in Southampton and has committed to open warehouses in Wednesbury, Exeter and Doncaster.
In September, Ronny Gottschlich was replaced as Lidl’s UK boss by Christian Hartnagel after overseeing the supermarket’s rapid rise across the country.
Lidl and its fellow German discount chain Aldi have shaken up the UK grocery sector and sparked a bitter supermarket price war by stealing market share from Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons.
– PA
