Luton Carnival opens Lidl's biggest warehouse in Houghton Regis

The opening of Lidl’s largest warehouse in the world has marked with a carnival parade at the site in Houghton Regis.

The £300 million regional distribution centre (RDC), situated off the Woodside Link road close to J11a of the M1, is set to create up to 1,500 jobs with workers getting £11.40 an hour, with the potential to rise to £12.30 depending on the length of service.

It is Lidl’s largest construction project to date and the first to include automated machinery. At 1.2 million square feet and half a kilometre in length, the regional distribution centre will deliver over 9,400 pallets a day to 150 stores

Lidl celebrated the opening with a carnival parade, featuring performers from the area, and residents were invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Jennifer Davidson, Lidl’s regional director responsible for the new RDC, said: “In my 26 years at Lidl I’ve had the opportunity to work on some incredible projects, but none of which I am prouder of than this.

"To see the culmination of all the work that’s gone into it and knowing the boost that it’s going to give to the local economy, including the creation of a significant amount of new jobs, is truly something. We have an exceptional team here, and I’m excited about what the future has in store for us, and Lidl on the whole.”

The warehouse is the first of Lidl’s delivery fleets to be fuelled by biogas from food waste, while the centre will generate around two million kWh of electricity every year from solar panels.

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.”