Lidl invests €80 million in largest regional distribution centre
21 April 2023
Today, Lidl opens its newly extended Mullingar Regional Distribution Centre following an €80 million investment, creating 100 new permanent jobs.
The facility is now one of the largest distribution centres on the island of Ireland and one of the Lidl Group’s largest in the world.
Having invested €1 million in a football-pitch-sized rooftop solar panel array consisting of almost 3,000 panels, the centre has reduced its carbon output by some 220 tonnes annually, enough to power more than 218 homes each year.
On the eve of World Earth Day, Lidl says the investment demonstrates its commitment to sustainability, allowing the retailer to generate more than 20% of the new facility’s energy requirement by solar power, making Lidl’s Mullingar distribution centre one of the most sustainable logistics facilities in Europe.
Minister Peter Burke, Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, who was born in Mullingar and represents the people of Longford-Westmeath, officially opened the facility along with a host of local representatives, suppliers, business partners, and Lidl employees.
“Today is a momentous occasion for Mullingar and the Irish food industry as we celebrate the inauguration of this outstanding facilitym” Minister Burke said.
“I am confident that this investment will have a positive impact on the region, and I look forward to witnessing its continued growth and success,” he added.
Alan Barry, chief development officer at Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland, said the development is “evidence of our ongoing investment and commitment to the Irish food sector and to Westmeath. The newly expanded distribution centre will now be Lidl’s largest distribution centre on the island, equivalent in size to approximately nine Aviva stadiums”.
“This investment in Mullingar supports Lidl’s growing footprint of stores nationwide and is in line with our ongoing €550 million three-year expansion plan, which we first announced in 2021,” Barry added. “As part of this plan, we’re also on track to deliver several new stores this year with Clonmel, Kilkenny and Ballincollig opening earlier this year and Limerick and Bettystown set to open in the next few months.”
Originally built in 2008 to service stores in the North Dublin, Midlands, and Northwest of the country, the Mullingar facility has expanded over the past ten years to keep up with the retailer’s growing footprint. This project created nearly 1,000 local construction jobs during the construction phase to extend the facility by 15,000m2, bringing the total size to 62,000m2. This expansion allows Lidl to increase capacity by one third and it is a core part of Lidl’s supply chain network, serving its network of 177 stores across the country.
Operating 24 hours a day, the warehouse can hold approximately 42,000 pallets at one time, an increase of 10,000 pallets due to the extension.
Products are received centrally and sorted before allocation to stores. According to Lidl, its unique approach of receiving goods directly from suppliers to centralised warehouses “greatly increases efficiency, speed, and agility in how stock is managed”. Lidl adds that this approach also reduces the number of journeys required to deliver stock and as a result further reduces the retailer’s carbon footprint.
Lidl employs nearly 400 people in Westmeath across its distribution centre and three stores in the county. The retailer also procured more than €2.5 million worth of goods from Westmeath suppliers in 2022.
Fans 0
Followers