Alan Macdonald Named First Scottish Voice of Lidl Self-Checkout Across Scotland

Alan Macdonald, a 46-year-old former radio presenter from Oban who lost his eyesight in 2009, has been chosen as the first Scottish voice for Lidl's self-service checkout tills following a nationwide campaign involving over 20,000 voters. Macdonald, who retrained in sound engineering and worked at Oban FM, will bring his hometown's friendly and upbeat Oban accent to Lidl's Scottish branches starting October 1. The competition, promoted by Hollywood star Alan Cumming, attracted 5,000 voice sample submissions via WhatsApp and aimed to find an authentic, welcoming Scottish voice rather than a generic AI-generated one. Macdonald emphasized using a friendly, non-authoritative tone that conveys a smile through the microphone, reflecting his radio experience and desire to avoid sounding bossy. Lidl GB's Scotland director praised the campaign for highlighting the diversity and spirit of Scottish communities. Macdonald described the opportunity as an honor and a dream come true, expressing pride in representing Scotland in this unique role.