Lidl NI creates 170 new roles in local jobs boost and invests £300,000 in Covid Employee Bonus

The new roles are being created to support Lidl’s growth across the region and will expand the retailer’s workforce to over 1,200 staff.

As an essential business, Lidl Northern Ireland has continued to serve the communities it operates in throughout the pandemic by keeping its doors open, shelves stocked and also by helping to support the livelihood of many local suppliers with dedicated promotions. It has also continued to facilitate the export of local Northern Irish produce to its network of more than 10,500 stores in Europe, including a £24 million deal with Fermanagh’s Crust & Crumb who supply Lidl’s premium pizza range.

The commitment and dedication of Lidl Northern Ireland employees has also not gone unnoticed and the retailer has announced a new Covid Employee Bonus worth £300,000 which will be shared with all employees this year. This bonus is the third COVID bonus offered by the retailer to recognise the efforts of its staff during this period.

The announcement comes after the Top Employers Institute recognised Lidl Northern Ireland as a Top Employer for 2021 this week. The esteemed international, sought-after certification, held by global brands such as PepsiCo, Adidas and Heineken, showcases an organisation’s dedication to a better world of work, exhibited through excellent HR policies and people practices.

The Top Employers Institute programme certifies organisations based on the participation and results of their HR Best Practices Survey. This survey covers 6 HR domains consisting of 20 topics such as People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Well-being and Diversity & Inclusion and more.

Maeve McCleane, Director of Human Resources at Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland said: “Since the onset of the pandemic our teams have demonstrated inspirational dedication and bravery in serving our local communities when they needed it most. I am delighted to confirm this significant investment in the form of a third bonus to acknowledge their selflessness and hard work in this challenging time.

“Our most important asset has always been our people, and 2020 has reinforced that they are in fact the bedrock of our business, which is why we have prioritised building not only an exceptional place to work, but also an inclusive, rewarding and fulfilling culture at Lidl for our employees. It is with great pride that we accept this year’s Top Employers certification and I look forward to welcoming many new colleagues to Team Lidl in the coming months.”

In late 2020 Lidl Northern Ireland announced an investment of £32m in five stores in the Greater Belfast, adding 100 new permanent jobs and supporting up to 1,000 jobs in the locality during the development and construction phases.

An independent review of its operations published by Oxford Economics in 2019 showed that Lidl Northern Ireland already contributes around £180 million annually to the local economy and sustains more than 3,500 jobs.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you