60 jobs in store with twin plans

9:34am Friday 16th May 2008

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TWO discount supermarkets could soon be coming to Ryedale, creating 60 new jobs in the process.

Lidl, a German-based company known for its low prices, is submitting an application to Ryedale District Council to build a new store on the Former CPL Coal Depot in Vivis Lane, Pickering.

It is also applying to create a new outlet on the site of a former car dealership in Welham Road, Norton.

If successful and there are no complications the stores could be open just after the New Year.

A spokesman for Lidl explained why the company wanted to move into Pickering.

He said: "We have been looking to build a store in Pickering as part of our ongoing expansion programme throughout the UK.

"We see Pickering as having limited food retail choice, with its residents having to travel to our store in Stakesby Road, Whitby, to achieve quality choice and value.

"The proposed site will be ideally situated to serve the needs of residents living in and around Pickering, bringing jobs and investment, as well as a much-needed alternative discount food store."

Plans for both stores are now at the draft stage and are likely to be submitted in around three weeks.

In Pickering the entire site, including the car park, measures 3,903 square metres - nearly an acre - although the sales area would be 1,063 square metres (42,011 square feet). The site in Norton is similar in size.

Both stores would employ about 30 people each, on a mix of full and part-time contracts.

To gauge public opinion and explain the plans, representatives from the company held an open day in Pickering on Monday which was attended by about 500 people.

A second open event was held in Norton yesterday. People had the chance to quiz company representatives, view the plans and taste food samples between. There was also a chance to talk about employment opportunities.

Lidl, which has about 5,000 stores in 17 countries, was established in the 1930s and established itself in Britain in 1994.

It now has more than 380 stores across the UK.