SUPERMARKET chain Lidl has set plans in motion to build a new store in Dumbarton – bringing 40 new jobs to the area.

The £6 million investment comes as the German brand confirms it has exchanged contracts with Vico Properties Ltd to secure the new site.

The new store, which will be located on Castle Street on land within the former Allied Distillers site, will see Lidl UK commit to building a sustainable 26,000ft store with plans to create up to 40 new jobs.

The supermarket will boast state of the art facilities including a bakery, five tills, over 150 parking spaces.

And there will also be the prospect of a further retail operator opening alongside Lidl as part of the development site will be marketed for disposal.

Gordon Rafferty Lidl UK’s property director, confirmed the plans: “We are delighted to announce our plans to open a new store in Dumbarton, which marks another milestone in our ambitious store expansion programme.

“We’ve seen incredible demand for Lidl stores across the country and look forward to offering our quality products and incredible value to shoppers in and around Dumbarton.

“We are firmly committed to helping boost the local economy by creating new jobs and working with local suppliers in the construction of the new store.

"The team are very much looking forward to confirming a date for our public consultation day when we will outline our plans and get input from those who will directly benefit from the new store.”

The planned store in Dumbarton will add to Lidl’s existing store portfolio of 630, and will form part of the company’s growth plans which hope to see this increase to 1,200 store in the future.

The supermarket was crowned Grocer of the Year at the 2015 Grocer Gold Awards.