Lidl to create 500 jobs with €420m investment in Munster

German discount supermarket chain Lidl plans to create more than 500 jobs with a €420 million investment, which includes new stores and a distribution centre.Lidl has earmarked €306 million for investment in Co Cork, including €200 million for a new distribution centre in Little Island, as part of an expansion across Munster, launched on Friday.The chain will spend €420 million across the region, creating more than 500 permanent jobs, boosting its Munster workforce to 1,800, opening 14 new stores and redeveloping 10 existing outlets, Lidl said.Around 250 of the new jobs will be in Cork. Lidl said it bought €136 million worth of products from suppliers in the county last year, including Keohane Seafoods, Castlecor Potatoes and Irish Yogurts.READ MOREAlong with the increased employment, the supermarket chain calculates that the investment will support 4,500 construction jobs across the 25 developments that it plans. The €420 million spend in Munster is part of a wider €600 million investment across the Republic, which will involve opening 35 new stores.Robert Ryan, chief executive of Lidl Ireland, said: “The €306 million we are investing in Cork alone reflects the importance of the county to our future.” Ryan predicted the investment in Munster would strengthen Lidl’s infrastructure across the region, adding that the chain works with 120 suppliers across Cork.Tara O’Connor, regional managing director of Lidl Ireland, said the company’s move would support growth there for “many years to come”.Taoiseach Michéal Martin welcomed news of Lidl’s expansion.“Businesses like Lidl play an important role in our economy, creating jobs, supporting local suppliers and making an important contribution to communities right across the country,” he said.One of the biggest players in the Irish grocery market, Lidl employs more than 6,300 people across its 192 stores, its head office in Tallaght, Dublin, and distribution centres.