Lidl announces 600 jobs

Supermarket chain Lidl has announced today that it is to recruit 600 new staff in the next two years, with recruitment to commence immediately.
As yet there is no breakdown on what percentage of the jobs will be based locally, but Lidl has stores in Athlone, Mullingar, Ballinasloe and Roscommon, as well as a distribution centre in Mullingar.  
Recruitment will commence immediately for 600 roles which will be filled over the next 24 months across all business units including store operations, warehouse and distribution support as well as head office and regional office roles.
There are a variety of roles on offer in store operations such as managers, deputy managers and store assistants to support the growing store network and ongoing extension of existing stores in 146 locations nationwide. Further recruitment will also be undertaken in warehouse and distribution support, in particular for Lidl’s largest warehouse which is in planning at Newbridge, Co. Kildare.
Head office roles include those in buying, which oversees the purchase of over €500 million worth of Irish sourced goods from 180 suppliers annually as well as administration, accounting and finance, property & facilities management, marketing, communications and HR.
In the coming months recruitment will also be open for Lidl’s award-winning Graduate Recruitment Programme. Information on all vacancies are available on www.jobs.lidl.ie
All roles advertised will provide opportunities for long-term career advancement in a dynamic customer-focused organisation. In recent years Lidl has grown in status both as one of Ireland’s largest employers and one with a strong reputation for its workplace according to the Ireland RepTrak® report 2016 where it was ranked 7th overall.
Lidl has and continues to put a significant focus on making Lidl a great place to work - not just with well paid jobs but also focusing on work-life balance, health and well-being and investing in staff training and career development.
Lidl has achieved considerable recognition over the past 12 months for HR initiatives –  among the awards Lidl has won are the Grad Ireland Best Graduate Recruiter award in the retail sector, awards for Overall Excellence in HR, Best Health and Wellbeing Strategy at the 2016 Leadership & Management Awards and Best Leadership Development Initiative from the Irish Institute of Training and Development.
Speaking at the announcement, Maeve McCleane HR Director at Lidl in Ireland said: “As Lidl continues to go from strength-to-strength there are significant opportunities for those willing to join a success story in the Irish market. Lidl is now recognised as a leading employer of significant scale in Ireland and with that brings a wealth of opportunities for ambitious and dynamic people with a passion for delivering exceptional service for Lidl Ireland’s 1.5 million weekly customers, whether they work in store or in a variety of other roles throughout our business. As an employer we believe in the importance of committing to our staff by providing a supportive work environment with training and development in all areas to help everyone achieve their full potential.”
Welcoming the 600 new jobs at Lidl in Ireland, Mary Mitchell-O’Connor T.D., Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation said: “Lidl’s decision to hire an additional 600 new staff over the next two years is a real vote of confidence in the Irish economy and demonstrates further commitment from a company which has already invested over €1.5 billion in Ireland since 2000.
“It is encouraging to see recruitment across all parts of the business which will provide opportunities for those with a wide variety of skills. I am particularly pleased that much of this employment will be spread across the country in Lidl’s stores, regional offices and distribution centres which is a key objective of the Government’s Regional Jobs plan.”