Aldi has revealed plans to create almost 150 jobs in West Lothian.
The German supermarket chain is to open its new £25 million storage and chill unit in Bathgate by the end of April and the new facility will create 120 jobs over a five year period.
Aldi also announced plans to open a new store on Houstoun Road in Livingston at some point over the next twelve months creating another 20 new jobs.
A further five new stores will open in Scotland this year as part of their continued investment and expansion across the UK.
The store openings and new chill facility will take the total number of staff employed by the retailer in Scotland to 2800 by the end of 2020.
The other five new stores to open will be at Crown Street in Glasgow, Commercial Street in Edinburgh, Rigg Street in Stewarton, Gallowgate in Parkhead, and Gateside Commercial Park in Haddington.
Last year marked the 25th anniversary of Aldi opening its first store in Scotland and the 10th anniversary of the creation of its dedicated Scottish Buying Department.
Richard Holloway, regional managing director for Scotland said: “This is an exciting time for Aldi as we look ahead to 2020 and plan for the next 25 years in Scotland. Our new state-of-the-art storage and chill facility will be fully operational by the end of April, which will aid our expansion across Scotland while allowing us to increase the range of Scottish products available on our shelves.
“For several years Aldi has led the way with local sourcing, and we see Scotland as a key area of growth for the business. We’re proud to have reached our ambition to stock over 450 Scottish products significantly ahead of our target of the end of 2020, and we will continue to work in partnership with our local suppliers to increase this to over 500 locally sourced products in the next two years.
“With six new stores planned for next year and a further six being refreshed and upgraded, we’re looking forward to serving even more local communities and expanding our market share even further.
In May 2019, Aldi was crowned Scottish Sourcing Business of the Year at the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards, demonstrating the supermarket’s commitment to its Scottish suppliers and to offering the finest quality, locally sourced produce at everyday low prices.
