Discount supermarket giant to shut depot after announcing several store closures

A DISCOUNT supermarket giant is set to shut a depot after announcing several store closures.

Lidl is looking to close its warehouse in Walsall within the next year.

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The supermarket chain says the building, which is 50 years old, is “no longer fit for purpose”.

Lidl is also undergoing a wider restructure to ensure its “logistics function is set up as effectively as possible”.

It has operated from the depot since 2008 and is set to shutter it in a year’s time.

Around 100 workers are said to have entered into a consultation ahead of the closure.

Lidl says it hopes to offer alternative roles at nearby sites, such as at our Wednesbury warehouse, “where possible”.

Although redundancies are also said to be offered to workers.

A Lidl GB spokesperson said: “In recent years we have invested significantly in the expansion and optimisation of our warehouse infrastructure, to support our growing operations across the country.

“Since 2008, our Walsall facility has been a key support function for our stores and distribution centres however, the site itself is not purpose-built having been constructed 50 years ago and, with multiple buildings of varying ages, it is no longer able to meet our operational requirements.”

The closure is said to lead to consolidating operations within the newer warehouse facilities nearby.

“Our focus will be on supporting all impacted colleagues and we are proposing to offer alternative roles at nearby sites,” such as at our Wednesbury warehouse, where possible,” the spokesperson added.

The Walsall depot is one of Lidl’s support facilities with a capacity of 100 workers.

Lidl has larger Regional Distribution Centres such as Luton, which has a capacity of 1,500 colleagues and Wednesbury, which is down the road and has capacity of 500.

It comes after Lidl has pulled down the shutters on several of its supermarkets in the past year.

The chain is closing its shop in Paignton, Devon, next month after 25 years.

The store in the Victoria Centre will shut for good on February 4 after long speculation about its future.

A spokesperson said locals can be assured that they can head to its larger White Rock Way store, just 10 minutes’ walk away.

Lidl has also confirmed that it will be shutting its Kentish Town Road branch on February 11 – after a decade on the high street.

 Although, it’s not all bad news and Lidl has plans to acquire an alternative site nearby so that they can reopen.

Most recently Lidl confirmed its Thornaby store in Stockton-on-Tees will be closing on February 29.

But shoppers will instead be able to head over to its Tower Street and Billingham Road stores, along with the store on Yarm Road. 

A spokesperson added: “In the last three years alone, we have opened two brand new stores to serve and provide an enhanced shopping experience to households in and around the Stockton-on-Tees area.”

The chain has big plans to open more sites in the next year.

Last year, Lidl bosses revealed that the chain is looking to open hundreds of new locations.

While it’s yet to confirm the exact locations, it’s aiming to open high street, standalone, mixed-use and shopping centre stores.

Lidl is also looking at retail parks, as well as metropolitan in London and M25.

The full list, of which there are 1,168 locations, includes sites across all areas of Great Britain – including 66 in Scotland, 83 in Yorkshire, 83 in central England, 91 in south London and 42 in south-mid Wales.

The retailer has a store target of 1,100 stores by the end of 2025.

Other chains are also shutting sites

Lidl isn’t the only chain with plans to shut big depots.

Next is looking to close its warehouse at Toftshaw Lane in Bradford by the end of the year.

The move is due to the fashion and homeware retailer aiming to expand its operation in South Elmsall, Wakefield.

Bosses said the decision “has not been easy” but is “necessary” to improve stock availability for online shopping.

Elsewhere, major high street retailers are set to close 10 stores before the end of the month as shoppers cry about “another sad loss”.

The high street has seen a whole raft of closures over the past year and more are on their way.

Several major brands have also collapsed, such as Wilko and Paperchase.

Many high-street retailers have been struggling to get by, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Energy costs have risen and more shoppers than ever are choosing to order online rather than head into stores.

This has left some retailers grappling with budgets and have no choice but to close stores to cut costs.

Several big-name chains are pulling down the shutters for the final time this month.

Jack Wills in Worcester announced it will be closing down for good on January 30.

Boots revealed it would be closing 300 stores over the next year as part of plans to evolve its brand.

Supermarket chain Co-op is pulling down the shutters on its branch in Peacehaven, East Sussex, on January 20.

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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk