Lidl becomes first UK supermarket to introduce recommended living wage | City Index Lidl becomes first UK supermarket to introduce recommended living wage Lidl becomes first UK supermarket to introduce recommended living wage September 18, 2015 2:36 pm by City Index Budget supermarket chain Lidl has announced that it will start paying UK employees the minimum wage as recommended by the Living Wage Foundation. This will make it the first UK supermarket to take the step. From October, Lidl UK employees will earn a minimum of £8.20 an hour in England Scotland and Wales. In London, the minimum wage paid will be £9.35. The rate recommended by the Living Wage Foundation is different from the National Living Wage, which was set out in the chancellor's summer budget. The foundation says it plans to update its recommendations in November and Lidl says it will adjust its minimum wage accordingly. Currently, Lidl employees earn a minimum of £7.30 an hour (£8.03 an hour inside London). The Living Wage Foundation's current minimum hourly rate is £7.85 and £9.15 for London.

In comparison, the National Living Wage is set to be £7.20 an hour from April 2016 for people aged over 25. According to Lidl, its new pay rate will lead to an average wage increase of £1,200 a year. The supermarket added that more than half (53 per cent) of its 17,000-strong UK workforce would benefit from the rise. Best paid supermarket employees Ronny Gottschlich, chief executive of Lidl UK, said that the wage increase would result in Lidl employees being "amongst the best paid in the supermarket sector". The director of the Living Wage Foundation, Rhys Moore told the BBC that he was "thrilled" with the announcement. "We've been working with and trying to persuade the retail sector to commit to pay the living wage rates rather than National Minimum Wage," he said, adding that none of the big four supermarkets (Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons) currently pay the living wage rates. He said he believes the British Retail Consortium is "behind the curve" on wages and praised Lidl's decision.

"Lidl is demonstrating this commitment to staff, and customers want to know that they're shopping in places which treat their staff well," he explained. Lidl becomes first UK supermarket to introduce recommended living wage 0.00 / 5 5 Lidl not planning to increase wages in Ireland Lidl not planning to increase wages in Ireland in line with UK rises Updated / Sept. 18, 2015 11:45 Lidl will pay a minimum of £8.20 an hour across England, Scotland and Wales and £9.35 per hour in London from October 1 Lidl has said it has no plans to introduce the living wage in Ireland, as it has done in England, Scotland and Wales, and said it has no further comment to make on the matter. More than 9,000 staff at the supermarket chain in England, Scotland and Wales are to receive a pay rise worth £1,200 a year after the discounter said it was hiking its minimum wages there . Lidl will pay a minimum of £8.20 an hour across England, Scotland and Wales and £9.35 per hour in London from October 1.

But the company said it has no plans to increase wages for its staff in Northen Ireland. In a statement, the company said that Lidl NI, which operates independently of Lidl GB, currently offers "attractive wages for all staff members". It said that these wages are reviewed annually and as such in August, it increased the hourly wage paid to staff, to ensure they were in line with the proposed living wage for Northern Ireland. "Lidl NI continues to monitor all discussions and proposals in relation to the living wage in Northern Ireland and will review and update accordingly when required," the company added. Lidl claims it will be the first supermarket in the UK to adopt the higher rate being set by the Living Wage Foundation. The supermarket chain also confirmed it would not be raising prices as a result of the wage increases. But other retailers have warned over the impact of higher staff costs from the UK national living wage, with Next and Whitbread, which owns Costa Coffee and Premier Inn, last week cautioning they may need to raise prices as a result.

The national living wage announced by British Chancellor George Osborne in his summer budget will see all workers aged 25 and over paid £7.20 an hour from next April, rising to £9 from 2020. Lidl launched in the UK in 1994 and reported more than £4 billion in sales over the last financial year. More on Why the living wage is victory for people power, not party politics | Society | The Guardian The Observer Why the living wage is victory for people power, not party politics Neil Jameson, whose campaign for decent pay has won over Lidl, explains why he prefers taking a battle to the streets to Westminster infighting Neil Jameson, executive director of Citizens UK, the grassroots group that campaigns for the living wage. Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian Saturday 19 September 2015 11.00 EDT Last modified on Tuesday 19 July 2016 09.12 EDT Share on Messenger Close Neil Jameson sits in a modest office in Whitechapel, east London, his softly spoken conversation competing with the murmur of children reciting the Koran in the madrasa next door.

On one wall is a giant map of London, peppered with more than 200 brightly coloured pins showing the local groups – schools, churches, mosques, trade unions – that have joined Citizens UK , the mass movement for social justice he has led for two decades. Every other available space on the walls is plastered with framed photographs of the political leaders who have attended one of the group’s public rallies over the years – and in many cases, been converted to its causes: above all, the demand for employers to pay a living wage. German supermarket Lidl became the latest convert on Friday. Labour stalwarts, including Ed Miliband and Gordon Brown, feature prominently on Jameson’s wall of fame; but so does London mayor and darling of the Tory right Boris Johnson. And in July, the chancellor, George Osborne, paid Jameson and his colleagues a sincere compliment for any campaign group: he pinched their idea, promising to introduce a “national living wage”. The chancellor’s appropriation of the phrase was a bravura bit of political branding – in reality, his policy is a chunky minimum wage rise , which even by 2020 will still leave pay rates well below the floor that Citizens UK has fought for in London.

Jameson admits that his members felt “a mixture of anger, flattery and concern” at Osborne’s move and insists they will continue to fight for decent pay. Greying, bearded and radiating a determined calm, Jameson has more than a hint of the Jeremy Corbyn about him. Like Corbyn, he believes passionately in the value of politics as a democratic, bottom-up, grassroots process and has spent much of his working life trying to shift the balance of power in society. But unlike Labour’s new leader, Jameson has focused his formidable energy not on Westminster politics, but on the streets. As a social worker in Coventry and Somerset in the 1980s, Jameson says he “looked at many of the people that we looked after and they had two things in common: they were poor, and they had no power”. Inspired by social movements in the US, he saw the solution in community organising: convening groups of local people to try to tackle the injustices and practical problems in their neighbourhoods – and to step in where neither the government, nor the market, can help. He says: “There are three important sectors: one is the state, one is the market, and one is civil society.

Civil society is the weakest, the most fractured, the most misunderstood; yet it is, of course, the most important because it is where millions reside, and it is the place where people develop children. It is where families lie. “The institutions that look after families are mosques, schools, trade unions, tenants associations, residents groups and so on. And they are all getting weaker, because of the dominance of the other two sectors.” Beginning in Bristol and moving to London in 1993, with financial backing from the philanthropic Barrow Cadbury Trust , to see if he could give a voice to powerless communities, Jameson began to develop the model that has now been replicated by Citizens UK in nine cities up and down the country. The East London Community Organisation (Telco), as it was initially called, was born out of a group of London faith-based groups, whose leaders, including the imam of east London mosque and the Catholic bishop of Brentwood, hoped to do something practical about the challenges facing their communities. At a meeting in Limehouse in 2001, they discovered that they could unite behind a common cause.

“Everybody basically said the same thing: they can’t plan ahead if they’re working because they never know what rota they’re on; they haven’t got as much money as they used to have, so there’s two parents working when there used to be one. And the children seem to want more goods. That room concluded: ‘I wonder if we’ve got enough power to do something about work, because it’s out of control.’” Jameson speaks with pride and emotion of the campaign victories, small-scale and large, that his organisers have won over the years – from a simple demand for eight new litter bins in Whitechapel; to improving the terms and conditions for contracted-out cleaners at Homerton hospital; to winning jobs for local people on the plethora of construction sites in east London – even opening up churches as ad hoc recruitment centres. Hardened by many battles with business and political leaders, they have developed a time-honoured modus operandi involving mass public rallies whose atmosphere lies somewhere between protest and celebration; personal testimony from people at the sharp end; strict political neutrality; and generous public gratitude where it is due.

I am most proud of reviving political assemblies as the political tool for non-partisan people to show their power Neil Jameson “I think I’m most proud of reviving political assemblies as the political tool for non-partisan people to show their power. That’s how Living Wage happened,” he says. “In Britain, we are blessed by the political leadership listening to us. If you have a packed room, in a democracy, people have to come to you.” Introducing a cabinet minister or a chief executive to the person who cleans their office and struggles to bring up their children on poverty pay is a powerful weapon, and Jameson talks with pride of the “quietly angry” community spokespeople who have fought to hold decision-makers to account. HSBC chairman Sir John Bond, who was confronted publicly by one of the bank’s night cleaners, Abdul Durrant, at the company’s annual meeting in 2003, insisted he couldn’t “buck the market”; but Jameson says: “That is not the standard we abide by; it’s about families, and choice.” Bond was eventually won over.

And through years of dogged campaigning, one company, hospital, town hall or university at a time, the idea of a living wage – a pay rate high enough to enable workers to afford a decent life, once the cost of basics such as food, rent and travel are taken into account – has moved from the fringes of public debate towards the political mainstream. The Greater London Assembly now calculates the London Living Wage, giving it the stamp of political authority; and academics at Loughborough University produce a national version. The Living Wage Foundation offers official accreditation to firms – now including Lidl – which promise to pay it to their workers. But as Jameson relates his story, it becomes clear that his real motivating force over the years has been developing people. “The kids get to respect their parents when they see them in political action,” he says. “We’ve got lots of kids who would say ‘my mummy was on telly and I’m really proud of her.’” They offer their 55 organisers a salary on a par with that of a deputy headteacher; and he displays irritation at the suggestion that campaigns like these are just a training ground for Westminster politics. “That is such an insult. Community organising is one of the most important jobs in civil society.

“Being a member of parliament has its place, but it’s narrow, you’re whipped, you have to do what you’re told, your job is not to develop people; your job is to fight for the party. Our job is to develop the capacity of people to participate in public life, and to strengthen the institutions they come from.” So, despite having much in common with Corbyn and his fellow travellers, Jameson has not been caught up in the wave of enthusiasm that has rocked Labour since the summer. “The flaw with the current struggle – I don’t understand it, I’m afraid – is the obsession with replacing a leader with another leader,” he says. “History teaches us that that leader will be flawed, and we will get tired of them, and we will remove them; and then we will look for another leader, and they will let us down. Instead, stay with the people.” He warns that if Corbyn is unable to offer his army of converts, many of them young and idealistic, a practical role, they will soon become disillusioned. “Being in action is very, very important; people learn through public action. That’s why the political parties don’t get it.

If he doesn’t give them meaning through public action, they will drop off. You don’t get meaning through knocking on doors saying: ‘Do you want to vote for Jeremy Corbyn?’” IN AND OUT PAYERS ■ Lidl The German-owned supermarket has said it will pay 9,000 of its UK workers at least the full living wage from next month, becoming the first major high-street name to embrace the campaign. ■ Oliver Bonas The fashion retailer this month became the first high street chain in Britain to pay the living wage. ■ Ikea Earlier this year the Swedish furniture chain became the first large national retailer to commit to paying its UK staff the living wage. ■ British Gas The energy supplier and its parent company Centrica, which employs more than 30,000 people, was accredited as a living wage employer in July - meaning it promises to pay the rate as it rises and include contract staff. ■ Chelsea FC Chelsea last year became the first fully professional football club in England to be accredited as paying a living wage to all staff.

■ HSBC In 2003, night cleaner Abdul Durrant confronted HSBC’s chairman Sir John Bond at the bank’s annual meeting and asked whether the bank would be willing to pay a living wage. After paying the voluntary rate for several years, the bank became a fully accredited living wage employer in 2014. NON-PAYERS ■ Other Premier League clubs Other teams in the top flight are under pressure to follow Chelsea’s lead. They have agreed to pay the living wage to full-time staff from the start of the 2016-17 season but campaigners want them to go further and extend the promise to all contracted staff. ■ Big supermarkets After Lidl’s milestone commitment, campaigners will continue to press the biggest chains. ■ High-street retailers Given the high proportion of workers in retail on low wages, the sector has been a target for the movement and it wants big names such as John Lewis and Next to sign up. ■ Hotels The hospitality sector also relies on staff on the minimum wage, so signing up big hotel and restaurant chains would have a significant impact.

A study by the Resolution Foundation thinktank found that almost half of all hospitality workers would benefit by 2020 from the government’s new national living wage, a lower rate than the voluntary living wage. ■ Care homes Big care home providers have raised concerns over their ability to pay the government’s lower “national living wage”, saying it will leave the care sector at risk of “catastrophic collapse”. Four Seasons, Bupa, HC-One, Care UK and Barchester have said they support a national living wage but claim that, as staffing accounts for 60% of care costs, there would need to be efforts to rescue the care system. Katie Allen Lidl Petitions | Petition Tags | GoPetition - Page: 1 1. Support Lidl Boston Lidl are seeking planning permission for a new store with associated access car parking and landscaping. The store will extend to 2,460 sq.m gross internal area with a net sales area of 1,424 sq.m. The new store will be supported by 166 car parking spaces, including 7 dedicated disabled and 7 parent and child spaces located close to the store entrance.

A new customer access into the Site is proposed from the existing access road to the B&Q store to the south. All delivery HGVs will follow the Westbridge Road towards the northern part of the Site. A dedicated pedestrian access and crossing to the Site will be provided from Westbridge Road. It is proposed that the retail store will be open between the hours of:  7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday; and  10am to 4pm Sunday. All waste will be stored within the warehouse area of the store and will be collected at the same time as deliveries, thereby minimising HGV movements within the site. 2. Support Lidl Wallington Lidl is already firmly established as a leading grocery retailer throughout Europe. By offering top quality products and fresh goods at extremely competitive prices, Lidl has been able to build on the fastest growing retail operations in the country with over 630 stores nationwide. Lidl has been successfully trading in Wallington since February 2000 but are now looking to redevelop the existing store to create a new supermarket to the new Lidl specification together with 9 residential units.

The existing foodstore has been a supermarket for over 40 years but is no longer capable of meeting our company’s needs or the service we seek to provide our customers. The new foodstore will be a larger more modern supermarket with an improved customer car park. A new ‘click and collect’ service will be available to complement the stores existing facilities. The new store will also provide an additional 16 job opportunities for local residents. Together with the residential apartments the redevelopment will improve the vitality and viability of the town centre. For Further information, please visit our website ( 3. Support Lidl Mitcham Eastfields Lidl are looking to provide a new neighbourhood foodstore with 1352 square meters of sales area and 92 car park spaces with 10 disabled and 5 parent and child spaces. The new foodstore will provide 40 new jobs for local residents and offer a limited range of products necessitating ‘top up’ shopping alongside other retailers. For Further information, please visit our website ( 4. Support Lidl Epsom Lidl are looking to redevelop this site providing a new foodstore with a 1424 square meter sales area, 88 customer car parking spaces and 24 residential.

The new foodstore will offer a limited range of products necessitating ‘top up’ shopping encouraging customers to use surrounding retailers in the established local centre. The new foodstore will also provide 40 new jobs for local residents. Benefits to Epsom The redevelopment of the Upper High Street site will provide many benefits to Epsom town centre and the local area. · Bringing a derelict eyesore site back into use · Increasing shopping choice in Epsom with a new Lidl foodstore · Creating up to 40 full-time and part-time jobs for local people · Building 30 new apartments in the town centre · Attracting more investment into Epsom For Further information, please visit our website ( 5. Support Lidl Dundee - Kingsway East The Proposed Site The proposed store is a planned as part of a redevelopment of the former ABB factory at Kingsway East. Other uses will include a coffee shop, car showroom and pub/restaurant. The site is bounded on the north by the Kingsway ring road. On the east and south, the site is bounded by Mid Craigie Road and on the west by a garage and car showroom.

The surrounding area is primarily industrial/ commercial in nature with some neighbouring residential and community uses. The site is located close to the Kingsway East Retail Park. Benefits of the Proposed Development • The development of the site will provide the following benefits to the local area: • Car Parking with Disabled, Parent and Child and secure Cycle Parking; • Wide and accessible shopping aisles and clear signage, to allow ease of access and free movement for all customers; • A stand-alone in-store bakery in order to provide customers with freshly baked produce throughout the day; • Optional Self-service tills; • Modern and spacious welfare areas for employees; • A full height glazed frontage to allow natural light into the store and reduce electricity consumption; and • Convenient access due to its positioning adjacent to the Kingsway and nearby residential areas. 6. Support Lidl in Hythe Lidl have exchanged contracts to purchase the St John's Street car park and PC Building Supplies yard in Hythe, subject to grant of planning permission. We are delighted to be in a position to commence consultation with the local community on Lidl’s proposed development of a new neighbourhood discount foodstore.

The proposed Lidl site is just under 1.7 acres and lies at the eastern edge of Hythe town centre and is currently a public car park and builders merchants yard. The current occupier of the builders merchants, PC Building Supplies, will be applying to relocate to new premises on Hardley Industrial Estate to allow continued expansion of their successful local business. PC Builders intend on selling the remaining part of their land to Churchill Retirement Living for 36 retirement apartments. The Lidl, Churchill and PC Builders proposals are dependent on each other, meaning that all three planning applications need to be granted permission for any of the developments to proceed. Lidl’s proposal is for the construction of a bespoke two storey building to accommodate a 2,202m² Lidl foodstore with a net sales area of 1,377m². The proposed development will benefit from 105 parking spaces situated to the front and side of the store including 6 disabled spaces and 3 parent and child spaces. Free parking will be offered to customers for a period of 90 minutes.

The St John’s Street car park was identified in the Local Plan adopted in 2014 as a Town Centre Opportunity Site (HYD4), being suitable for additional retail development to ensure the continued viability and vitality of the town centre. A typical Lidl sells 95% own-brand products with a limited range of circa 1,800 lines. This is a small fraction of the 30,000+ product lines sold by the major multiple supermarkets. Lidl stores do not have an in-store butcher, delicatessen, fishmonger, pharmacy or cafe. We do not sell tobacco, stationery, hot food, permanent ranges of clothing, video games, greetings cards, nor a large number of newspapers and magazines. Lidl do not have concessions such as film processing, dry cleaning, shoe repair nor Post Office services. This allows Lidl foodstores to complement the product range of smaller independent retailers and promote mutually beneficial linked trips. We will shortly be publishing a full set of development plans on our development website ( as part of our comprehensive public consultation exercise. 7.

Support Lidl Motherwell Our proposal seeks the regeneration of the existing Lidl store at Windmillhill Street, Motherwell, into a new Lidl foodstore with accompanying car park. Our new store will have an extended retail sales area, a dedicated in-store bakery, a new warehouse area and delivery bay. It will extend to 2,436 sq. m Gross External Area (GEA), including a net sales area of 1,424 sq. m Our proposal will deliver a reconfigured car park to provide more car parking spaces, including disabled spaces, and parent and child spaces which are positioned close to the customer entrance of the store. The existing vehicular access point to the store will be retained. The redevelopment of our store will provide the following benefits to the local area: • A reconfigured store which provides a clean and fresh shopping experience to meet the needs of customers. • A new in-store Bakery with an improved range of products. • A contemporary building design that will complement the surrounding area. • Continued employment and additional employment opportunities being retained in the area. 8. Oppose development LIDL Blackwater When Lidl first applied for planning for this store, it was for a NON_FOOD premises.

After obtaining planning permission, and some way into the development, they managed to change the plan to build a food store. The store they built has always struck me as rather temporary in appearance. I think this development is ugly, out of character with the local environment and unnecessary. All of the problems they experience with their present site could be solved by keeping more tills open. Why should Blackwater suffer even more from the war between Lidl and Aldi? 9. Support Replacement Lidl Roath Provision of a replacement Lidl foodstore comprising 1,424 sqm sales area and 91 free car parking spaces; of which 6 will be disabled and 4 will be parent and child spaces. A brand new LOF (Lidl of the Future) state-of-the-art design that responds to the site’s characteristics, context and local built environment. With employment opportunities for up to 40 staff, the proposed scheme will have contemporary glazed elevations, an internal bakery, an external trolley bay, self-service checkouts and customer toilets with baby changing facilities. Vehicle access for shoppers, staff and delivery vehicles will remain unaltered. The site is well served by public transport and is accessible by foot, car and by bike.

Vehicle parking spaces provided are generously sized for better customer access. Pedestrian routes are provided through the site and cycle storage areas are provided adjacent to Colchester Avenue for ease of access. 10. Support Lidl Prestatyn Lidl have submitted a planning application for a new neighbourhood foodstore at the former Council depot to the rear of the Prestatyn Bus Station (planning application reference 43/2016/0432). The proposal would a deliver a high quality foodstore on Fford Pendyffryn, Prestatyn as well as provide 25-40 jobs for local people. Please sign the petition to demonstrate your support for this proposal. 11. Support Lidl Consett Our proposal seeks the relocation of the existing Lidl store located in the Victoria Centre on Medomsley Road to a new site on Delves Lane, Consett. The proposal comprises the erection of a new store with associated access, car parking and landscaping.

The new concept store includes state-of-the-art, glass fronted design to maximise natural daylight entering the buildings, revamped Wine Cellar section to enhance appeal, in-store bakery with an improved range of products, customer toilets and baby changing facilities, as well as longer tills, wider aisles and self-checkouts to give added convenience. The store will extend to 2,273 sq.m Gross Internal Area (GIA) with a net sales of 1,424 sq.m. The proposed store will be supported by 131 car parking spaces, including 8 dedicated disabled and 4 parent and child spaces and secure cycle and storage provision. Vehicular access to the site will be taken from a new proposed access on Delves Lane to the north.

The development of the site will provide the following benefits to the local area: - A purpose built store which provides a clean and fresh shopping experience to meet the needs of customers; - A dedicated in-store bakery with an improved range of products; - A contemporary building design that will complement the surrounding area; - State-of-the-art, glass fronted design to maximise natural daylight entering the building; - Customer toilets and baby changing facilities; - Longer tills, wider aisles and self check-outs to give added convenience; - Employment opportunities, including up to 40 new jobs for local residents; and - Landscaping to improve the visual amenity of the site. 12. Support Lidl Alnwick Our proposal comprises a 437 sq. m extension to the south eastern elevation of our existing store. This will extend the retail sales area by 221 sq. m, and provide a dedicated in-store bakery, including a bakery preparation area, freezer and two chillers. The proposal will deliver a reconfigured car park. This will provide 84 parking spaces, including 6 disabled spaces and 4 parent and child spaces which are located near to the customer entrance at the north west corner of the store.

Trolley bays will remain adjacent to the store entrance within the customer car park. Separate staff and service access will be retained at the west of the store via Wagon Way. The extension of our store will provide the following benefits for to the local area: • An extended store with a new sales area of 1,287 sq. m, which represents an increase of 437 sq. m compared to the existing store. • A new in-store bakery with an improved range of products. • Continued employment being retained in the area. • A reconfigured car park lit by LED lighting which will include 84 car parking spaces, incorporating six disabled spaces and four parent and child spaces. 13. Support Replacement Lidl Morriston Provision of a replacement Lidl foodstore comprising 1,424 sqm sales area and 114 free car parking spaces; of which 6 will be disabled and 6 will be parent and child spaces. A brand new LOF (Lidl of the Future) state-of-the-art design that responds to the site’s characteristics, context and local built environment.

With employment opportunities for up to 40 staff, the proposed scheme will have contemporary glazed elevations, an internal bakery, an external trolley bay, self-service checkouts and customer toilets with baby changing facilities. Vehicle access for shoppers, staff and delivery vehicles will remain unaltered. The site is well served by public transport and is accessible by foot, car and by bike. Vehicle parking spaces provided are generously sized for better customer access. Pedestrian routes are provided through the site and cycle storage areas are provided to the rear of the external trolley box. 14. Support new Lidl - Broadway Road, Evesham Provision of a replacement Lidl foodstore comprising 1,424 sqm sales area and 122 free car parking spaces; of which 6 will be disabled and 4 will be parent and child spaces. A brand new LOF (Lidl of the Future) state-of-the-art design that responds to the site’s characteristics, context and local built environment. With employment opportunities for up to 40 staff, the proposed scheme will have contemporary glazed elevations, an internal bakery, an external trolley bay, self-service checkouts and customer toilets with baby changing facilities.

Vehicle access for shoppers, staff and delivery vehicles will remain unaltered. The site is well served by public transport and is accessible by foot, car and by bike. Vehicle parking spaces provided are generously sized for better customer access. A pedestrian route is provided through the site and cycle storage areas are provided to the rear of the external trolley boxes. 15. Support Lidl Sprowston Our proposal comprises the erection of a new store with associated access, car parking and landscaping on land to the north of Blue Boar Lane, Sprowston. The store will extend to 2,526 sq. m gross internal area with a net sales area of 1,689 sq. m. Our new store will be supported by 120 car parking spaces, including 6 dedicated disabled and 7 parent and child spaces, together with cycle parking and storage provision. A new vehicular access is proposed off the existing access and roundabout via Blue Boar Lane. This access will be designed to accommodate both cars and HGVs to ensure safe access for vehicles entering and leaving the site. Pedestrian access will be provided from Blue Boar Lane via existing pedestrian walkways to the south of the site.

It is proposed that the store will be open between the hours of: • 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday; and • 10am to 4pm Sunday. All waste will be stored within the warehouse area to the rear of the store and will be collected at the same time as deliveries, thereby minimising HGV movements. It should be noted that there will be a maximum of two deliveries per day. Our new store will provide the following benefits to the local area: - A purpose built store that will provide a clean and fresh shopping experience to meet the needs of customers. - A dedicated in-store bakery. 16. Support new Lidl Bristol Road Provision of a replacement Lidl foodstore comprising 1,424 sqm sales area and 120 free car parking spaces; of which 8 will be disabled and 4 will be parent and child spaces. A brand new LOF (Lidl of the Future) state-of-the-art design that responds to the site’s characteristics, context and local built environment.

With employment opportunities for up to 40 staff, the proposed scheme will have contemporary glazed elevations, an internal bakery, an external trolley bay, self-service checkouts and customer toilets with baby changing facilities. Vehicle access for shoppers, staff and delivery vehicles will remain unaltered. The site is well served by public transport and is accessible by foot, car and by bike. Vehicle parking spaces provided are generously sized for better customer access. Pedestrian routes are provided through the site and cycle storage areas are provided to the rear of the external trolley boxes. 18. Support Lidl Loughborough The proposed development comprises the erection of a new Lidl foodstore with associated access, car parking and landscaping on the site of the former Charnwood Railway building, Trinity College Annexe and former petrol filling station (currently Hire Station) on land to the north of Station Avenue, Loughborough. The store will extend to 2,460 sq. m gross internal area with a net sales area of 1,424 sq. m. The proposed foodstore will be supported by 140 car parking spaces, including eight dedicated disabled and eight parent and child spaces, together with secure cycle parking and storage provision.

A new vehicular access is proposed off Station Street between its junctions with Station Avenue and Derby Road. This access will be designed to accommodate both cars and HGVs. The access proposals will include the widening of Station Street on the approach to Derby Road to ensure safe access for vehicles entering and leaving the site. Pedestrian access will be provided from Derby Road to the east of the car park and from Station Avenue to the south. All waste will be stored within the warehousing area to the rear of the store and will be collected at the same time as deliveries, thereby minimising HGV movements. It should be noted that there will only be a maximum of two deliveries per day. The development of the site will provide the following benefits to the local area: • A purpose built store that will provide a clean and fresh shopping experience to meet the needs of customers. • A dedicated in-store bakery. 19. Support Lidl Oakham The proposed development comprises the erection of a new Lidl foodstore with associated access, car parking and landscaping. The store will extend to 2,460 sq. m gross internal area with a net sales of 1,424 sq. m.

The proposed foodstore will be supported by 126 car parking spaces, including five dedicated disabled and seven parent and child spaces and secure cycle and storage provision. Vehicular access to the site will be taken from a new proposed access on Land’s End Way to the east and at the junction of Land’s End Way and Barleythorpe Road to the south. A new vehicular access is proposed off Land’s End Way in the north-east corner of the site. This will accommodate all traffic to and from the north, including deliveries. All HGVs will route to and from the site via Burley Park Way. The existing access in the south-east corner of the site will be utilised by traffic approaching from Barleythorpe Way. Comprehensive improvements will be provided at this location to address visibility and pedestrian safety issues. A dedicated pedestrian access to the site will also be provided direct from Lands End Way. All waste will be stored within the warehousing area to the rear of the store and will be collected at the same time as deliveries, thereby minimising HGV movements. It should be noted that there will only be a maximum of two deliveries per day.

The development of the site will provide the following benefits to the local area: • A purpose built store which provides a clean and fresh shopping experience to meet the needs of customers. • A dedicated in-store bakery. 20. Support Lidl Morpeth Our proposal seeks the regeneration of the existing Lidl store, former PFS and Sanderson’s car park into a new Lidl foodstore with accompanying car park. Our new store will have an extended retail sales area, a dedicated in-store bakery, a new warehouse area and delivery bay. It will extend to 2,573 sq. m Gross External Area (GEA), including a net sales area of 1,424 sq. m, resulting in an increase of net sales area of 450 sq. m net compared to the existing store. The existing vehicular access points to the PFS, existing Lidl and Sanderson’s car park will be closed off from Stanley Terrace and Corporation Yard and a new access will be created for Lidl’s customers and delivery vehicles.

Our proposal will deliver a reconfigured car park to provide 109 parking spaces, including 7 disabled spaces, and 5 parent and child spaces which are positioned close to the customer entrance located at the north west corner of the store. Separate staff parking will be retained at the rear of the store to be accessed via New Phoenix Yard. Trolley bays and cycle parking are positioned opposite the store entrance within the customer car park. The redevelopment of our store will provide the following benefits to the local area: • A reconfigured store which provides a clean and fresh shopping experience to meet the needs of customers. • A new in-store Bakery with an improved range of products. • A contemporary building design that will complement the surrounding area. • Continued employment and additional employment opportunities being retained in the area. 21. Support Lidl in Kempston Lidl have recently submitted a planning application for the relocation of the existing Kempston store to a new development site on Ridge Road, Kempston. The application was registered by the Council on 20th May 2015. We are delighted to be in a position to commence consultation with the local community on Lidl’s proposed plans.

The site forms part of the David Wilson Homes West Kempston Development; this parcel of land was earmarked for commercial development thus being identified as an ideal relocation site for Lidl. The site currently lies vacant, part of the site is used as temporary parking allowing parents to drop off and collect their children from Kemspton Rural Lower School, which is adjacent to the site. Our proposal is to construct a new Lidl foodstore to the company’s latest specification which promotes a modern, high quality and sustainable designed building. The site is over twice the size of the existing store site and can accommodate a larger store with many more car parking spaces. Parking will be free of charge, therefore parents will be able to park on the store's car park when dropping off and collecting their children from the school. The store will be more energy efficient and offer a brighter, more spacious sales floor, a bakery, customer toilets and self-service checkouts enhancing the overall customer shopping experience. There will also be up to 20 new local jobs created as a result of the larger store.

You will shortly be able to view all of the planning application plans on our website - However in the meantime you can view the application on Bedford Borough Council's website - Enter planning application reference: 16/01382/MAF. 22. Support Lidl Kirkcaldy Lidl is proposing to upgrade and relocate its existing store in Kirkcaldy to a new site at the west end of the Esplanade, which was formerly a Stagecoach Bus depot. We are delighted to be in a position to commence consultation with the local community on Lidl’s proposed plans. Lidl's existing site provides a number of constraints in relation to size and shape, which make it unsuitable for redevelopment or extension. The new Lidl of the Future (LOF) store requires 2 acres of land and, unfortunately, the existing site is only 1.49 acres. If Lidl was to construct the LOF store on this site, the design would be compromised and the number of parking spaces reduced. In addition, the existing site is bordered by the Esplanade, Gas Wynd, School Wynd and residential dwellings.

This means that an extension onto the site itself, to increase it to 2 acres, is also not possible. The relocation of Lidl’s Kirkcaldy store is a multi-million pound investment, which will contribute to improving the overall retail experience of residents. The new store will provide around 131 parking spaces, a larger stand-alone in-store bakery, an increased choice in produce, bigger shopping aisles, self-service checkouts and improved welfare spaces for employees. The building, which will have a 1424 m2 sales area, will be constructed using modern and sustainable methods and materials, and will feature a full-height glass frontage. It will also create up to 15 new jobs, in addition to the 15 jobs already provided by the existing store. These jobs will range from Customer Assistants and Cleaner positions, starting at £8.25 per hour, to Management positions, starting at £37k per annum for a Store Manager and around £24k per annum for an Assistant Store Manager. Lidl is proud to be the first retailer in the UK to introduce and exceed the living wage, with all its employees receiving a minimum of £8.25 per hour and none operating on zero hour contracts.

We have launched a website ( as part of our comprehensive public consultation exercise. On the website you will find the plans for Lidl's proposed store, as well as information regarding how you can register your support in addition to signing this petition. 23. Support Lidl Garforth Lidl are progressing with a planning application for a new neighbourhood food store, family pub and two further retail units on the Miami Building site on Aberford Road, Garforth. The proposal consists of a new specification Lidl food store, measuring 2,470 sqm (1,424 sqm sales area) and 160 car parking spaces. A new signalised junction onto Aberford Road is proposed, with further improvements to Bar Lane to be undertaken. The site benefits from an outline planning permission for a new food store, measuring 40,000 sqft, which is considerably larger than the proposed Lidl food store. As part of the previously consented food store, a new access was proposed and consented by Leeds City Council. Lidl are not proposing to amend this previously approved access in any way. The new Lidl store will benefit from the following: New modern food store with a visually impressive appearance.

Wider aisles to enhance the customer shopping experience. New, purpose built bakery. 25. Support Lidl Torry Lidl is proposing to upgrade and relocate its existing store on Wellington Road to a new site on the corner of Wellington Road and Greenwell Road in Aberdeen. We are delighted to be in a position to commence consultation with the local community on Lidl’s proposed plans. Lidl's existing site provides a number of constraints in relation to size and location, which make it unsuitable for redevelopment or extension. The new Lidl of the Future (LOF) store requires 2 acres of land and, unfortunately, the existing site is only 1.3 acres. If Lidl was to construct the LOF store on this site, the design would be compromised and the number of parking spaces would be significantly reduced by over half. In addition, the existing site is bordered by Wellington Road, a railway track and a site occupied by another foodstore. This means that any extension to the existing store would result in the loss of parking spaces. The entrance to the existing site also splits the car park in two, which leaves a large number of the available space unused.

As part of this relocation process we are in negotiations with a non-food operator about occupying our existing site. Peter Vardy will be vacating the new site, where Lidl will be constructing its LOF store, and relocating its Land Rover franchise to 132 Wellington Road (the former Glencraft site), to sit alongside Jaguar in a state of the art newly built dealership. The new Porsche dealership has recently been built on a site adjoining Balmoral Business Park, Wellington Road and they are currently trading from that location. The total investment projected by Peter Vardy Limited in the area is £20 million and they employ 150 people across the 3 dealerships. This relocation will provide better access to a Lidl store for neighbouring communities, as it will move closer to the boundaries of adjacent wards and resolve the issue of the road crossing at Lidl’s existing site, which will remain open throughout the relocation process. It will also lead to up to 25 new jobs being created, from Customer Assistants to Store Management, with Lidl being the first retailer in the UK to introduce the living wage for employees.

The relocation of Lidl’s Wellington Road store is part of a multi-million pound pipeline of investment, which will contribute to improving the overall retail experience of Aberdeen residents. This programme of modernisation in Aberdeen also includes the construction of a new LOF store on Inverurie Road, Bucksburn, for which Lidl received planning consent on 25 January 2016. We have launched a website ( as part of our comprehensive public consultation exercise. On the website you will find the plans for Lidl's proposed store, as well as information regarding how you can register your support in addition to signing this petition. 26. Support new Lidl Coney Hill Provision of a replacement Lidl foodstore comprising 1,689 sqm sales area and 158 free car parking spaces; of which 9 will be disabled and 4 will be parent and child spaces. A brand new LOF (Lidl of the Future) state-of-the-art design that responds to the site’s characteristics, context and local built environment.

With employment opportunities for up to 40 staff, the proposed scheme will have contemporary glazed elevations, an internal bakery, 2 external trolley bays, self-service checkouts and customer toilets with baby changing facilities. Vehicle access for shoppers, staff and delivery vehicles will remain unaltered. The site is well served by public transport and is accessible by foot, car and by bike. Vehicle parking spaces provided are generously sized for better customer access. Pedestrian routes are provided through the site and cycle storage areas are provided to the rear of the external trolley boxes. 27. Support Lidl in Emersons Green, Bristol The proposed development comprises the erection of a mixed commercial development comprising a retail foodstore (the relocated Lidl store), restaurant/Public House and drive-thru restaurant, together with associated car parking, servicing and landscaping. The proposed mixed use development enables the relocation of the existing Lidl to an adjacent site, opposite its existing store location at Emersons Green Town Centre. The Lidl foodstore is located to the southern tip of the mixed use proposal. The new foodstore will extend to 2,748 sq. m gross internal area (with a sales area of 1,689 sq. m).

Vehicular ingress to the site will be from Rosary Roundabout and egress will be via a left out only onto Lyde Green. These access arrangements were approved in connection with the previously permitted David Lloyd Centre. The store will be supported by 157 car parking spaces, 10 disabled parking bays, five parent and toddler spaces to the north of the proposed store, together with secure cycle and storage provision as part of the wider mixed used development 28. Support Lidl South Ruislip As you may be aware, in May 2013 Lidl acquired the vacant Imperial House unit and the two retail units by Stonefield Way on Victoria Road, South Ruislip. A planning application has been submitted for a discount foodstore with a 1,687 m² sales area and 137 car parking spaces. As you may know, Lidl was granted planning permission on 18 November 2015 (Application Ref: 5039/APP/2014/3715) for the construction of a new Lidl food store.

As a result of the continued success of the company and tremendous local support, the Lidl store concept has evolved and as a result of acquiring some additional land, there is now a fantastic opportunity to construct our latest store design on the former Rover show room and Comet store site. You will see from viewing our new proposal (which can be found by visiting: the new store will provide the local community with a slightly larger store with increased car parking but importantly a more spacious, brighter and comfortable store enabling customers to benefit from an enhanced and more enjoyable shopping experience. The redevelopment of the site will provide the following benefits to the local area: • Regeneration of a key brownfield site that has remained vacant for a significant number of years, is unsightly and in a poor state of repair; • A high quality building incorporating a fully glazed shop front that will significantly improve the visual amenity of the site; • 137 free parking bays of which 14 will be designated disability spaces, 14 will be for Brown Badge holders and 4 parent and child spaces. There will be 14 spaces with electric vehicle charging points (7 active and 7 passive).

This is an increase of 33 spaces compared to the previous proposed scheme; • An easily accessible location promoting sustainable modes of transport and linked trips; • Two new improved vehicle access/egresses will be formed from Stonefield Way and Victoria Road providing improved customer access to and from the site as well as direct pedestrian links; • Provision of 40 new jobs for local residents. Your feedback is very important to us and the Local Planning Authority. If you are in favour of our proposal then we would be grateful if you would assist us by voicing your support and signing our petition. For further information, news and updates please visit our website at 29. Support Lidl in Blandford Forum Lidl are pleased to announce development proposals for a new neighbourhood discount foodstore located off Shaftesbury Lane, Blandford Forum. As part of our application consultation we are asking the residents of Blandford for your 'in principle' views on a new Lidl foodstore. The development proposes a Lidl foodstore with a net sales area of 1,689m².

Modern concept Lidl stores provide customers with the benefits of wider aisles and more circulation space; increased space dedicated to fresh products such as fruit, vegetables, meat & poultry, as well as chilled goods and baked goods; improved product displays; more checkouts; customer toilets with baby changing facilities; a full in-store bakery offering; and a more efficient storage and warehouse operation. This is partnered with big improvements to the staff welfare facilities and a more convenient and accessible car park. The scheme will be supported by a total of 174 parking spaces, consisting of 145 standard, 13 disabled and 16 parent & child spaces. Both disabled and Parent & Child spaces will be located close to the store entrance with easy access to walkways and crossing facilities linking to the store frontage. There will be two external trolley shelters and cycle stands proposed to provide secure parking for 16 bicycles. The Lidl store would employ up to 40 full and part-time staff who would all be sourced locally. Furthermore, starting on 1st October 2015, Lidl became the first British Supermarket to adopt the National Living Wage, as part of the supermarket’s on-going commitment to invest in its employees.

The announcement followed Lidl being named as Grocer of the Year at the 2015 Grocer Gold Awards. Lidl was also listed as one of the top supermarkets for Customer Service by Which? in its September 2015 Report on the Best and Worst Brands for Customer Service. The Lidl strategy is to offer our customers the highest quality products at the lowest prices via neighbourhood stores serving local needs at convenient locations. Lidl's limited range of products and modest turnover will ensure that any impact on Blandford town centre is minimal. 30. Support Lidl Hayes As you may be aware, in September 2013 Lidl purchased the former Hayes Swimming Pool site on Botwell Lane, Hayes. A planning application has been submitted for a discount foodstore with a 1,687 m² sales area and 146 car parking spaces. In September last year Lidl was granted planning permission (Application Ref: 1942/APP/2013/3565) to build a new Lidl food store.

However, as a result of the continued success of the company and positive local demand, the Lidl store concept has evolved and there is now a fantastic opportunity to construct our latest store design on the former swimming pool site. As you can see from viewing the plans which can be found by visiting this will provide the local community with a slightly larger store with increased car parking but importantly a brighter, more spacious and comfortable store enabling customers to benefit from an enhanced and more enjoyable shopping experience. The redevelopment of the site will provide the following benefits to the local area: • New local employment opportunities (40 new jobs). • Redevelopment of a vacant brownfield site. • Provision of a new discount food store within the Town Centre. • Enhanced competition resulting in more competitive pricing. • A modern, high quality building to improve the visual amenity of the area. • An enhanced shopping environment for customers through an improved store layout, including the provision of wider aisles. • An easily accessible location promoting sustainable modes of transport and linked trips. • Customer cycle parking to encourage visits by bicycle. • A limited range of products (1,800 lines) to encourage continued use of existing independent and national retailers.

The proposed store will provide a local discount food store in the heart of Hayes Town Centre and will both complement and improve the current shopping provisions within the Town Centre, helping to create a more sustainable community. Your feedback is very important to us and the Local Planning Authority. If you are in favour of our proposals then we would be grateful if you would assist us by voicing your support and signing our petition. For further information, news and updates please visit our website at

Question: The first major supermarket chain to introduce the UK 'national living wage' (£9.35/2015) was?
Answer: Lidl