Store chain bring 150 jobs to area
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 facility will create 120 jobs over a fiveyear period.
Aldi also announced plans to open a new store on Houstoun Road, Livingston, in the next 12 months, creating another 20 jobs.
Executive councillor for development and transport Cathy Muldoon said: “Aldi already have a significant presence in the area and this further investment demonstrates their longterm commitment to West Lothian.
“It’s no surprise that forward-thinking firms such as Aldi are choosing to move to or grow their businesses, in West Lothian, thanks to our dynamic economy, skilled and motivated workforce and ideal location at the heart of Scotland’s Central Belt.”
A further five new stores will open in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stewarton and Haddington this year.
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.
Richard Ho l l oway , regional managing director for Scotland, said: “This is an exciting time for us as we look ahead to 2020 and plan for the next 25 years in Scotland.
“Our new state- of- theart 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.”