Lidl has opened a new warehouse in Doncaster as the German discounter continues to invest in its store expansion and logistics.

The grocer’s 624,300 sq ft distribution centre is its biggest yet and will initially service 53 Lidl stores across South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the Midlands.

The new Doncaster warehouse is Lidl’s 13th in the UK and represents a £70m investment.

Lidl said the site, which will see 3,900 pallets of products pass through its doors every day, will create 400 new jobs in the city.

Employees at the new warehouse and neighbouring stores will be paid the voluntary living wage from March 1.

Earlier in January, Lidl revealed it had opened a new store in Rossington, just outside Doncaster, and plans to open further stores in Rotherham, Chesterfield, Nottingham and Mapplewell by the end of the year.

Tsvetelina Butrakova, Lidl UK regional director for Doncaster, said: “We’re extremely excited to mark the start of the year with the opening of our Doncaster distribution centre, which plays an essential role in enabling us to meet growing customer demand for Lidl products.

“The centre also underlines our commitment to creating more job opportunities, and I am so incredibly proud of the team that we have here in Doncaster and across our stores, whose hard work and dedication has enabled us to get where we are today”.

Since launching in the UK in 1994, Lidl has grown its portfolio to 740 stores and has ambitious plans to continue opening 50 new shops every year.