120 new jobs coming to Edinburgh as Lidl unveils plans for new stores

DISCOUNT retailer Lidl is to create up to 120 new jobs in Edinburgh, it has announced.

An artist's impression of the new Lidl planned for Easter Road

The posts will be created with the opening of two new Lidl stores – currently under construction on Slateford Road and Easter Road.

Existing stores in Leith and Haymarket will also be extended and modernised, creating more employment opportunities.

The new jobs were revealed as the retailer outlined all the works it plans for the capital in the next 12 months.

The plans form part of the supermarket’s £1.45 billion expansion investment across the the UK from now until the end of 2018.

Construction is well under way for the latest project in Edinburgh, on Slateford Road, the site of the former Matalan.

The new store, which is due to open early next year, will create up to 40 new jobs and will provide customers with state-of-the-art facilities including a bakery, spacious shopping aisles and dual-packing tills.

Meanwhile, Easter Road will soon have the first Lidl ‘Metropolitan’ store in Scotland, meaning it will have a first floor design that has been specifically created for inner city areas where space is at a premium, maximising the area available. The store, which will create a further 40 new jobs, will have its shop floor located on the first level – accessed by travellator – and will feature a part undercroft, part external car park, allowing for ample customer parking.

Construction of this new store is due to be completed early next summer.

As part of the retailer’s ongoing modernisation programme of its existing stores, its Leith store is currently undergoing an extension.

Plans are also in the process of being drawn up for an extension to the company’s store in Haymarket, with the planning application due to be submitted later this year.

Both developments will create up to 20 new jobs each, along with an enhanced shopping experience for shoppers, with new facilities including a bakery and larger entrance areas.

Ross Millar, Lidl’s managing director in Scotland, said: “We’re proud to have served the people of Edinburgh for over 20 years and this latest phase of our expansion highlights our continued commitment to giving both new and existing customers the best possible shopping experience.

“Through our ongoing investment it’s fantastic to be able to create new jobs and employment opportunities for the area.”

Lidl currently has eight stores in Edinburgh with significant investment having already been made to the Granton, Nicolson Street and Wester Hailes stores, along with the relocation of the supermarket’s Craigmillar store.

The German company’s property team are actively seeking more new sites and expansion opportunities across Edinburgh.

The supermarket’s success shows no signs of slowing, with the latest Kantar Worldpanel results highlighting Lidl as the fastest growing supermarket with continued sales growth of 19.2 per cent year on year and market share high of 5.3 per cent.