Discount supermarket Lidl is set to shutter a West Widlands warehouse, which was not purpose built and therefore no longer meets operational requirements.
Lidl purchased the Walsall site in 2008. A spokesperson explained that the warehouse is around 50 years old, with multiple buildings of varying ages, that do not meet the standards of its logistics expansion plan.
The supermarket has entered a consultation period with the 100 employees who will be impacted by the Walsall closure. Lidl stressed it hopes to redeploy most of the workers at alternative sites, including its nearby Wednesbury warehouse.
Furthermore, Lidl is going through a larger logistics restructure. A spokesperson told The Grocer: “We have recently conducted a review of one of the team structures within our warehouses, to ensure our logistics function is set up as effectively as possible for our growing business, whilst also supporting and developing colleagues.
“As a result, we have proposed the creation of two new management positions to improve the ratio of managers to team members. Combined with additional investments in dedicated training packages, this will allow warehouse leaders to commit more time to individual colleagues, supporting both engagement and performance development.
“A small number of colleagues’ roles will be impacted by this change, but we are inviting them to apply for the new positions created and are supporting them through this consultation.”
Learn more about Lidl in an exclusive company profile in the ChannelX European Marketplaces 2023 report. The profile questions if Lidl is a supermarket or a marketplace; and looks at how the wider Schwarz Gruppe has moved into shipping in a bid to ‘own’ the supply chain for its brands – in a bid to stave off bottlenecks.
