100 New Jobs Coming To The Midlands

It follows a massive €80 million investment to Lidl's distribution centre in Westmeath.

100 new, permanent jobs are coming to the midlands.

Lidl is to invest €80 million in its regional distribution centre in Mullingar.

The expansion will also see the creation of just over a thousand construction job for the project.

Lidl's Chief Development Office, Alan Barry says today's investment will lead to further growth in the midlands in the future:

He also says “we are delighted to officially open our new state-of-the-art facility today as 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. 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.”

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. At the opening Minister Burke commented “Today is a momentous occasion for Mullingar and the Irish food industry as we celebrate the inauguration of this outstanding facility. With an investment of €80 million, this facility will not only create 100 new jobs, but also make a significant contribution towards a more sustainable future by harnessing solar power to meet a substantial portion of its energy requirements. I am honoured to be here today to officially open the building, and I commend Lidl for their commitment to our local community and for their support of Ireland's green agenda. 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."

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.

The total size of the distribution centre is now four times larger than Croke Park, and stretches to 62,000m2.

For context - if you ran the exterior of the facility, you would have ran a full marathon!

Regional Logistics Director, Ivan Magee has been speaking to Midlands 103's Kamron Clarke, and says the construction phase took two years:

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.

2,600 solar panels have been installed on the facility, and it's new array is 'as big as the Aviva Stadium.'

The supermarket chain expects to be able to cover 20 per cent of the energy requirements of the Westmeath facility with the panels.

Chief Development Officer for Lidl Alan Barry says the move makes a big difference on carbon emissions:

Mayor of Mullingar and Green Party Councillor Hazel Smyth says it's great to see a facility this large, be so focused on energy conservation:

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. Lidl's unique approach of receiving goods directly from suppliers to centralised warehouses greatly increases efficiency, speed, and agility in how stock is managed.

This approach also reduces the number of journeys required to deliver stock and as a result further reduces the retailer's carbon footprint while also helping to ensure Lidl continues to offer the best prices and the freshest produce for their customers nationwide.

Frozen items are stored in a freezer which remains at -24 degrees.

The freezer is so cold, that employees are only permitted to work inside for two hours at a time - after that period, they step into the 'warm room' to heat up and have a coffee.

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.