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Lidl Northern Ireland has announced it plans to recruit more than 170 new employees this year.

The roles are across its 40 stores and a distribution centre in Nutt's Corner, County Antrim.

The recruitment drive will expand the retailer's workforce to over 1,200 staff.

Lidl has also announced a new Covid employee bonus worth £300,000, which will be shared with all staff this year.

The company said the bonus is the third to be offered to recognise the efforts of its staff during the pandemic.

Maeve McCleane, director of human resources at Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, said the supermarket's teams had "demonstrated inspirational dedication and bravery" in serving the local communities.

Ms McCleane said the bonus acknowledged the "selflessness and hard work" of the company's staff during "this challenging time".

In November, Lidl announced an investment of £32m in five stores in the Greater Belfast area.

The company has said about 1,000 temporary jobs will be supported during the development and construction phases, with about 100 permanent jobs created.