Lidl teams up with Alan Cumming in search for new Scottish self-service voice
Lidl has been on the hunt for a Scottish voice for its new self-service checkouts. To help find the winner, the supermarket has teamed up with Hollywood royalty Alan Cumming.
The budget German grocer recently unveiled a nationwide search that encouraged Scots to submit a recording of themselves reciting popular phrases from the bagging area in a competition that aims to "champion the quirks of the Scottish accent."
The search, which saw 5,000 hopeful Scots enter, has now been narrowed down to 10 entrants, with voices from the likes of Aberdeen, Cupar, Kinross and Oban.
Ahead of of the public vote that is now open, the supermarket giant has teamed up with the host of The Traitors US and his trusty pet companion Lala in a tongue-in-cheek video that offers hilarious critique on the finalist's.
Taking place in a Traitors-esque style castle based in the Scottish Highlands, the Perthshire -born actor, who has also starred in the likes of X-Men and The Good Wife, brings his noted charm when listening to all the voices that are up for the coveted title.
And now the people of Scotland can have their own say on who to crown as the winner, as they can choose the best voice by casting their vote on the Lidl website here before voting ends at 5pm on July 29.
Speaking about the Lidl hopefuls, Alan said: "It's high time our self-checkouts had a bit more character and Scottish flair - and let's be honest, who doesn't want to be told that they've got an unexpected item in the bagging area by someone who sounds like their favourite cousin from Fife or sassy auntie from Glasgow?
"I had an utterly delightful time listening to the 10 auditionees give it laldy; some were bold, some were bizarre, others would have me scanning in an instant! It's a proper rollercoaster of accents, intonations and glorious Scottishness.
"But now the power is in your hands. This isn't just about picking a winner - it's a celebration of who we are, how we speak and our ability to have a bit of a laugh while we do it. So don't dilly dally and get voting!'
Marco Ivone, Regional Director of Lidl GB in Scotland added: "We're incredibly proud to be investing almost £3 million to bring self-checkouts to every Lidl store in Scotland by the end of the year.
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"This is part of our commitment to continuously improving the shopping experience for our customers, including enhanced choice on which checkout they use.
"What's truly brilliant, though, is the response to our 'Unexpected Scottish Voice' competition. Over 5,000 people from every corner of Scotland have stepped up to the mic, which just shows how much pride people take in their local dialects - and how game we are to have a bit of fun with it too.
"We can't wait to give the winner their moment on our self-checkouts; adding further Scottish flavour to the Lidl shopping experience."
The nationwide search came after YouGov research found that 81 percent of Scottish shoppers prefer the choice between a staffed till and a self-service checkout.
In response, Lidl began adding self-service checkouts to all its stores across Scotland in a staggering £3million investment that also rolled the convenient tills out across England and Wales.
Scottish shoppers can officially choose the next voice of Scotland's self-service checkouts by casting their vote on the Lidl website. Voting ends at 5pm on Tuesday, July 29.
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