Up to 500 new jobs for Peterborough as Lidl plans UK's largest distribution centre in the city

Lidl UK has exchanged contracts on a 34-acre site in Peterborough for the new 754,000ft² distribution centre on the Gateway Peterborough site at Great Haddon, by Junction 17 of the A1(M).

The warehouse will manage the supply and distribution of food and non-food items to stores in the surrounding area using the latest energy efficient and zero-carbon technologies.

Head of warehouse expansion Adrienne Howells said: “We are very excited about our proposed Regional Distribution Centre in Peterborough. Our expansion across the UK is progressing rapidly and it’s important we have the right supply chain infrastructure to support this.

“Peterborough is ideally located and we’re pleased to be bringing more jobs to the local community.”

Lidl UK will now seek to obtain satisfactory planning consent for the site.

The supermarket chain recently announced it would also be creating 40 jobs with a new store as part of a multi-million pound redevelopment of British Sugar’s head office site off Sugar Way.

Another 40 jobs could also be created from a new store in Lincoln Road, Werrington, near Mancetter Square.

Lidl has created 670 stores since it first opened its doors in the UK in 1994.

There has been a steady flow of companies announcing jobs creation and new businesses moving into the city. For instance, new arrivals taxi giant Addison Lee has created 250 jobs, Smart Gardens Projects has recruited 25 staff and Metro Bank has created 25 jobs.

Online retailing giant Amazon, which has 1,500 permanent staff in Fletton, is creating 2,500 seasonal jobs in Peterborough and the Royal Mail is creating 100 jobs at its sorting centre in Werrington while print-to-mail firm KJS, of Fengate, has created a number of jobs following a £400,000 investment in new machinery.

However, number of firms have announced plans to move jobs out of Peterborough. These include manufacturer Redring Xpelair, which is to close its Peterborough site with the loss of 150 jobs, and finance companies Travelex, of Thorpe Wood, which is moving 75 jobs to India and Western Union Business Solutions which has moved 50 jobs to Lithuania.

Last week the Peterborough Telegraph reported that about 50 jobs are at risk at Peterborough manufacturing firm Glassolutions which has earmarked its Fengate site for closure.

Lidl reveals plans for multi-million pound Werrington store