Lidl Northern Ireland packs a £3m pay increase for all employees and creates 200 new jobs

Lidl Northern Ireland has announced pay increases worth £3 million for all employees and confirmed the creation of 200 new local jobs in 2023.

The move will see Lidl NI expand its workforce to more than 1,500 employees this year to support its expansion plans after outperforming all other major supermarket retailers with consistent growth in market share over the last five years.

More than 200 brand-new roles are being created to support its Regional Distribution Centre in Nutts Corner, which processes, packs and supplies more than 2,000 products to its 41 stores across NI. Additional retail roles are also being created across the region to support its busy store network which has grown exponentially to now welcome nearly half a million weekly shoppers.

The recruitment drive will see a variety of roles created across warehouse operations and logistics management, as well as in-store retail assistant and managerial roles. Lidl NI will begin recruitment in April 2023.

Recently named Business Eye’s Employer of the Year and globally accredited by the Top Employer’s Institute for a third consecutive year, the retailer also confirmed an investment of £3 million in additional pay increases to all of its employees, effective from March 2023.

Maeve McCleane, chief people officer at Lidl Ireland & NI, said: “As a major retailer and local employer, we are thrilled to announce the creation of a further 200 brand-new roles within Lidl NI as part of our continued expansion and in support of our exceptional growth.

“We recognise that our success is down to the strength of our team, which is why we have prioritised building an exceptional place to work and nurturing an inclusive, rewarding and fulfilling culture for every employee.

“Our People Strategy also focuses on ensuring we offer the most competitive benefits package in the industry. This includes competitive salaries, dedicated training and development and a comprehensive suite of industry-leading benefits which support our employees throughout all stages of their lives and careers with us.

“As part of this, I’m pleased to confirm a significant additional £3 million investment in pay increases for all Lidl NI employees - our third pay rise announced in the last 12 months. We’re delighted that our “Big on Quality, Lidl on Price” promise continues to deliver and we’re grateful to our customers and employees for their ongoing support.”

The announcement of 200 new roles follows a successful recruitment drive last year which saw 180 additional jobs filled and a pay increase investment of £1.5 million shared amongst its full workforce. Lidl NI also paid more than £300,000 in Covid-19 bonuses to all employees throughout the pandemic in recognition of their efforts, commitment and dedication during a challenging period.

In November 2022, Lidl NI confirmed that it would once again match the Real Living Wage hourly rate, representing an investment of more than £1.4 million by the retailer into annual wages. Lidl NI was the first major nationwide employer to commit to paying the real Living Wage in 2015 and since then has matched rates year on year.