Lidl Explained

Lidl
Type:Private
Founder:Josef Schwarz
Key People:Kenneth McGrath (CEO), Dieter Schwarz (Chairman)
Area Served:United States
Industry:Retail
Products:Discount supermarket
Revenue:125.5 billion (2023) [1]
Num Employees:376,000 (2023) [2]
Parent:Schwarz Gruppe
Location City:Neckarsulm
Location Country:Germany
Locations:12,200 (2023)

Lidl (pronounced as /de/) is a German international discount retailer chain[3] that operates over 12,000 stores, present in every member state of the European Union, Serbia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.[4] Headquartered in Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg, the company belongs to the Schwarz Group, which also includes hypermarket chain Kaufland.

Lidl is the chief competitor of the similar German discount chain Aldi in several markets.

History

In 1930, Josef Schwarz became a partner in a company based in Heilbronn named Südfrüchte Großhandlung Lidl & Co. which had been established since at least 1858 under the name A.Lidl & Cie specialising in the sale of exotic fruits. Schwarz renamed the company Lidl & Schwarz KG and expanded into a food wholesaler.[5] [6]

In 1977, under his son Dieter Schwarz, the Schwarz-Gruppe began to focus on discount markets, larger supermarkets, and cash and carry wholesale markets. Dieter did not want to use the name Schwarz-Markt (literally "black market") and wanted to use the name of his father's former business partner, A. Lidl, but legal reasons prevented him from using that name for his discount stores. When he discovered a newspaper article about a painter and retired schoolteacher Ludwig Lidl, he bought the rights to the name from him for 1,000 German marks.[7] [8]

Lidl is part of the Schwarz Group, the fifth-largest retailer in the world with sales of €104.3 billion (2018).[9]

The first Lidl discount store was opened in 1973, copying the Aldi concept.[10] Schwarz rigorously removed merchandise that did not sell from the shelves, and cut costs by keeping the size of the retail outlets as small as possible. By 1977, the Lidl chain comprised 33 discount stores.

Lidl opened its first UK store in 1994.[11] Its grocery market share in the UK was 5.9% in 2019.[12]

Sven Seidel was appointed CEO of the company in March 2014, after the previous CEO Karl-Heinz Holland stepped down.[13] Holland had served as chief executive since 2008 but left due to undisclosed "unbridgeable" differences over future strategy. Seidel stepped down from his position in February 2017 after Manager Magazin reported he had fallen out of favour with Klaus Gehrig, who has headed the Schwarz Group since 2004. Seidel was succeeded as CEO by Dane Jesper Højer, previously head of Lidl's international buying operation.[14]

In June 2015, the company announced it would establish a United States headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.[15] Lidl has major distribution centers in Mebane, North Carolina, and Spotsylvania County, Virginia. The company initially focused on opening locations in East Coast states, between Pennsylvania and Georgia,[16] and as far west as Ohio.[17] [18] In June 2017, Lidl opened its first stores in the United States in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and other mid-Atlantic cities.[19] The company planned to open a total of one hundred U.S. stores by the summer of 2018.[20] In November 2018, Lidl announced plans to acquire 27 Best Market stores in New York and New Jersey.[21] In December 2018, Lidl opened its first location in New York City, in the Staten Island Mall. The company continued to expand throughout the eastern U.S., with over 100 stores by the end of 2020. In August 2020, Lidl announced that it planned to open up another 50 stores in the U.S. by the end of 2021.[22] As of 2024 there were 173 stores in the US.[23]

In April 2022, Lidl postponed its expansion in Ukraine due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[24]

In 2021, Lidl planned to phase out the selling of cigarettes in all its Dutch stores by 2024 as part of the 'smoke-free generation'.[25]

Corporate affairs

Business trends

The key trends for Lidl are (as of the financial year ending February 28[26]):

201720182019202020212022
Revenue worldwide (€billions)74.681.289.096.3100.8114.8
Revenue in Germany (€billions)[27] 20.421.221.628.329.730.1
Share of revenue abroad (%)737476717174
Number of employees in Germany (thousands)[28] 145160178193211223
Number of stores in Germany[29] 3,1803,1933,2083,2263,2423,248
References[30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35]
In the financial year 2022 Lidl made a profit of €1.64 billion, €500 million less than in the previous year.[26]

Business model

Like fellow German supermarket Aldi, Lidl has a zero waste,[36] no-frills, "pass-the-savings-to-the-consumer" approach of displaying most products in their original delivery cartons, allowing the customers to take the product directly from the carton. When the carton is empty, it is simply replaced with a full one. Staffing is low.[37]

Compared to Aldi, there are generally more branded products offered. Lidl distributes many low-priced gourmet foods by producing each of them in a single European Union country for its whole worldwide chain, but it also sources many local products from the country where the store is located. Like Aldi, Lidl has special weekly offers, and its stock of non-food items often changes. In contrast to Aldi, Lidl advertises extensively in its homeland of Germany.

Like Aldi, Lidl does not play mood music in most countries, including Germany. Exceptions include stores in the United States, Ireland, Croatia, Spain (not all), Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Hungary. Additionally, in two stores in Denmark music is played as a test. Lidl stores have PA systems for important announcements but (with the exception of Hungary) do not broadcast commercials.

The Lidl operation in the United Kingdom took a different approach from Germany, with a focus on marketing and public relations, and providing employee benefits not required by law, including paying the independently verified living wage and offering a staff discount.[38] Upmarket products were introduced, especially in the lead-up to Christmas. This required significant investment in marketing to produce sales growth but had an effect on Lidl's logistical operation and pressure on profits. Ronny Gottschlich, who had run Lidl GB for the six years to 2016, was responsible for this approach, which led to friction with head office, due to the cost involved. In September 2016, Gottschlich unexpectedly left and was replaced by the Austrian sales and operations director, German-national Christian Härtnagel.[39] Lidl continued to have ambitious investment plans in the United Kingdom, doubling the number of stores to 1,500. In the financial year 2015, Lidl Great Britain's revenue from its over 630 stores throughout Britain was £4.7 billion.

Stores

, Lidl has a presence with stores in 31 countries.

CountryYear opened of stores
Austria1998255[40]
Belgium1995310[41]
Bulgaria2010127[42]
Croatia2006109[43]
Cyprus201020[44]
Czech Republic2003316[45]
Denmark2005144[46]
Estonia202213[47]
Finland2002202[48]
France19891,600[49]
Germany19733,250[50]
Greece1999230[51]
Hungary2004215[52]
Ireland2000180[53]
Italy1992730[54]
Latvia202130[55]
Lithuania201674[56]
Luxembourg200113[57]
Malta200810[58]
Netherlands1997440[59]
Poland2002900[60]
Portugal1995273 [61]
Romania2011350[62]
Serbia201872[63] [64]
Slovakia2004164[65]
Slovenia200766[66]
Spain1994670[67]
Sweden2003205[68]
Switzerland2009170[69]
United Kingdom1994960[70]
United States2017173
Total12,271[71]

Future markets

CountryOpening yearNotes
Bosnia and HerzegovinaTBDUnder construction, expansion confirmed because of an already built store and a launched careers page.[73] [74] [75]
KosovoTBDExpansion confirmed due to a launched careers page.[76]
MontenegroTBDExpansion confirmed by the purchase of three locations in Montenegro[77]
North MacedoniaTBDUnder construction, expansion confirmed because of a launched careers page.[78]

Other services

In October 2009, Lidl Movies was launched in the United Kingdom,[79] undercutting Tesco DVD Rental, which had previously been the United Kingdom's cheapest online rental service for DVDs. The service was powered by OutNow DVD Rental. OutNow went into liquidation in October 2011, taking Lidl Movies with it.[80]

In January 2012, Lidl launched bakeries in their stores across Europe. They consist of a small baking area with a number of ovens, together with an area where bread and pastries, such as croissants, are displayed for sale. The bakeries were initially trialed in a limited number of stores, to determine whether there was a demand for freshly baked products in-store.[81]

The mobile phone brand Lidl Connect was launched in Germany in October 2015 and in Austria and Switzerland in June and July 2019.

In August 2018, Lidl introduced "Lidl Plus" supermarket loyalty card via an app on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The app is available in most European countries where Lidl operates, offering discounts on own brand products and on partner offers. In several countries, the app also has a bonus program with cashback.

As of May 2019, Lidl US has partnered with Boxed.com to test a home delivery service using the online retailer's technology. Lidl also partners with Target Corporation's subsidiary Shipt for grocery home delivery.[82]

Lidl also runs Representative Offices in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Bangladesh, though there is no mention of Lidl stores opening there. Their operations are likely limited to overseeing manufacturing contracts for most of non-food products, offered in Lidl stores, with local manufacturers based in these countries.

In April 2021, Lidl in Ireland started offering customers coupons for free pads or tampons each month as an initiative against period poverty.[83]

In March 2023, Lidl was announced as the sponsor of the 2023 World Cycling Championship held in Scotland.[84]

Criticism

In 2008, Lidl was accused by journalists of spying on their workers, listening to private phone calls, and sometimes even following them home or to doctor's appointments.[85] In one instance, an employee's file was supposedly annotated to note that most of her friends were "drug users".[85] Lidl responded to these claims, stating that the surveillance was intended to prevent shoplifting, and to detect "abnormal behavior".[85]

Lidl has also been accused by trade unions in Germany of shutting down stores when workers elect worker councils or opt to engage in collective bargaining with a trade union.[86]

In October 2022, animal welfare NGOs across Europe accused Lidl of a 'chicken scandal'. Investigation footage filmed on a Lidl supplier's farm in Germany showed sick and injured chickens unable to walk and lying in their own waste.[87] In November 2022, another investigation was published showing similar conditions at Lidl supplier farms in Spain. Further investigations in Italy and Austria have also revealed severe chicken welfare issues. In the Austrian investigation footage, birds are seen attempting to eat the rotting carcasses of other dead chickens.[88] The chickens in the footage are fast-growing breeds, which reach their kill weight in just 35 days and have higher levels of mortality, lameness and muscle disease than slower-growing breeds.[89] NGOs have called on the supermarket to sign up to the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC), a set of welfare standards which prohibits the use of fast-growing breeds and requires the provision of more space and enrichment for chickens. While Lidl France already committed to the BCC in 2020, Lidl have so far not made a commitment for the rest of their European operations.

In 2023, amid a widespread boycott movement against Israeli businesses and products, Lidl stores faced criticism after several customers in France and Belgium complained that the store mislabeled products of Israeli origin as originating from other countries, such as Morocco.[90] The Lidl group attributed the issue to a display error. According to the General Directorate of Competition, Consumption & Repression of Frauds (DGCCRF), which oversees the legality and safety of products and services in France, "food presented for sale must offer clear and precise labelling in order to better inform the consumer".[91]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Successful fiscal year for the companies of Schwarz Group. gruppe.scharz. 23 May 2024.
  2. Web site: Geschichte – Gründung, Erfolge, Expansio. lidl.de. de. 19 September 2023.
  3. "Impressum ." Lidl. Retrieved 28 September 2012. "Addresse: Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG Stiftsbergstraße 1 74167 Neckarsulm "
  4. News: German discounter Lidl slows U.S. expansion: paper . 17 January 2018. Reuters. 17 January 2018.
  5. Web site: Lidl, le casseur de prix qui paie bien . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402115154/http://www.bilan.ch/entreprises-les-plus-de-la-redaction/lidl-le-casseur-de-prix-qui-paie-bien . 24 November 2013 . 2 April 2015 . Emmanuel . Grandjean . fr . Lidl, the discounter who pays well . Bilan.
  6. Web site: Zu zweideutig: So sollte Lidl ursprünglich heißen . Felix . Rentzsch . 1 March 2017 . de . Too ambiguous: This is what Lidl was originally supposed to be called . Business Insider.
  7. Web site: Aldis Erzfeind. 2 March 2004 . de. 4 March 2017.
  8. Web site: Jochen . Schuster. Der Geheimnia-Krämer . Focus Magazin . 15 June 2017 . de.
  9. Web site: Record turnover for Lidl owner: over 100 billion euros. 13 May 2019. RetailDetail.
  10. News: Secrets of the German supermarkets conquering America (24 slides). LoveMoney. 6 March 2019.
  11. News: 2018-02-15. Lidl opens its 700th store in the UK. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-08-24.
  12. Web site: 2019-08-20. Lidl attains its biggest UK grocery market share at 5.9%. 2021-08-24. The Guardian. en.
  13. Web site: German Grocer Lidl Names Replacement CEO After Holland Departure. Aaron. Ricadela. 21 March 2014. Bloomberg Business. 15 February 2017.
  14. Web site: Lidl replaces CEO after less than three years . Emma. Thomasson. 7 February 2017. Retail Analysis. 15 February 2017.
  15. News: McAuliffe bags German grocer Lidl, bringing hundreds of jobs to Virginia. Laura. Vozzella. 12 June 2015. The Washington Post.
  16. Thomasson, Emma. "German discounter Lidl starts hiring for U.S. stores launch". Reuters. Yahoo! News. 13 December 2016.
  17. Web site: German-based grocery store wants to build at site of Austintown bar. WYTV Staff. 18 April 2017. 3 June 2017.
  18. News: Lidl's US stores break European mold, says Bernstein: 'This is not a copy and paste approach'. foodnavigator-usa.com. 3 January 2018. en-GB.
  19. News: Lidl opens first U.S. stores as new era in food retail begins. 15 June 2017. Supermarket News. 21 November 2018.
  20. News: The Germans Are Escalating America's Grocery Price War. 3 January 2018. Bloomberg.com. 3 January 2018.
  21. News: German grocer Lidl to acquire 27 grocery stores. daytondailynews. 21 November 2018.
  22. Web site: 2020-08-25 . Lidl powers up U.S. expansion with another 50 stores . 2024-04-04 . Supermarket News . en.
  23. Web site: Number of Lidl stores in the United States from 2019 to 2024 . 2024-04-04 . Statista . en.
  24. Web site: Lidl decides not to open supermarkets in Ukraine for now.. 25 April 2022 . ubn.news. 26 April 2022.
  25. Web site: robin . 2021-10-01 . Lidl to stop selling cigarettes, over two years ahead of national ban . 2023-02-28 . DutchNews.nl . en-GB.
  26. Web site: 2023-10-03 . Gewinneinbruch bei Lidl . 2023-10-26 . foodaktuell . de-DE.
  27. Web site: Umsatz der Schwarz-Gruppe in Deutschland nach Vertriebslinien bis 2022 . 2023-10-26 . Statista . de.
  28. Web site: Mitarbeiter von Lidl in Deutschland bis 2021/2022 . 2023-10-26 . Statista . de.
  29. Web site: Filialen von Lidl in Deutschland bis 2022 . 2023-10-26 . Statista . de.
  30. Web site: Vereinte Nationen zeichnen "Lidl-Lebensräume" aus - Lidl Deutschland . 2023-10-26 . unternehmen.lidl.de . de-de.
  31. Web site: Lidl ist beliebtester Lebensmittel-Discounter - Lidl Deutschland . 2023-10-26 . unternehmen.lidl.de . de-de.
  32. Web site: Mutterkonzern von Lidl und Kaufland verzeichnet kräftiges Umsatzplus . 2023-10-26 . www.handelsblatt.com . de.
  33. Web site: Schwarz Gruppe Aktuelle Zahlen 2020 . 2023-10-26 . gruppe.schwarz . de-DE.
  34. Web site: Schwarz Gruppe Aktuelle Zahlen 2021 . 2023-10-26 . gruppe.schwarz . de-DE.
  35. Web site: Schwarz Gruppe Die Unternehmen der Schwarz Gruppe wachsen auf stabilem Niveau . 2023-10-26 . gruppe.schwarz . de-DE.
  36. Web site: Environment - Lidl.
  37. Web site: How Lidl keeps its prices low. Business Insider. 2 July 2017.
  38. News: Lidl to give lowest-paid staff pay rise to £8.45 an hour. Butler. Sarah. 24 November 2016. The Guardian. 19 September 2019. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  39. Web site: Lidl UK boss unexpectedly leaves German supermarket . The Guardian . 10 September 2016. Sarah. Butler. 10 September 2016.
  40. Web site: Lidl Österreich Filialen. lidl.at. de. 18 December 2021.
  41. Web site: Lidl simplifie également le concept de ses magasins en Belgique. 23 August 2023 . fr. retaildetail.be. 23 August 2023.
  42. Web site: https://corporate.lidl.bg/medien-cent-r/pressreleases/2024/v-burgas-otvori-vrati-127-yat-magazin-na-lidl-za-b-lgariya . bg:В Бургас отвори врати 127-ят магазин на Lidl за България. bg . corporate.lidl.bg . 2024-02-24.
  43. Web site: Naša povijest - Lidl Hrvatska . lidl.hr. hr. 28 December 2021.
  44. Web site: Lidl Cyprus opened its 20th store in Nicosia. lidl.cy. 14 March 2023.
  45. Web site: Historie Lidlu Zdroj. lidl.cz. cs. 28 September 2022.
  46. Web site: Lidl har åbnet sin første butik i Hurup Thy. da. 25 August 2023.
  47. Web site: Lidl avas Narvas oma 13. kaupluse Eestis. et. 31 August 2023.
  48. Web site: Lidl Corporate Info. fi. 28 September 2022.
  49. Web site: Methodologie publicite comparative Lidl. lidl.fr. 4 September 2023. fr. 4 September 2023.
  50. Web site: Über Lidl. About Lidl Germany. 13 October 2023.
  51. Web site: Η Ιστορία μας - Lidl Ελλάς. lidl-hellas.gr. el. 13 October 2023.
  52. Web site: Cégtörténet - Lidl Magyarország. lidl.hu. hu. 28 September 2022.
  53. Web site: Lidl History. lidl.ie. 13 October 2023.
  54. Web site: Chi siamo. lidl.it. it. 13 October 2023.
  55. Web site: Ķengaragā ar fanfarām atklāts jaunākais "Lidl" veikals . Lidl Latvija.
  56. Web site: "Lidl" atidarė parduotuvę šalia Kauno esančiuose Ringauduose. Lidl.lt. lt. 2 October 2023.
  57. Web site: Lidl ouvrira deux nouveaux magasins en décembre, à Dudelange et Windhof. lidl-luxembourg.prezly.com. fr. 14 March 2023.
  58. Web site: Lidl in Malta. jobs.lidl.com.mt. 14 March 2023.
  59. Web site: Lidl Nederland - Corporate. lidl.nl. nl. 18 December 2021.
  60. Web site: Nowe sklepy Lidl. Gdzie powstaną? Mamy listę miejscowości. eska.pl. pl. 19 September 2023.
  61. Web site: Lidl abre 6 supermercados num só dia em Portugal. nit.pl. pt. 18 December 2021.
  62. Web site: Lidl Discount România este lider al comerțului din România. Anul trecut a raportat un profit uriaș de 214 mil. de euro!. dailybusiness.ro. 10 October 2023. ro. 10 October 2023.
  63. Web site: Лидл србија обележава пет година пословањ. lidl.rs. sr. 11 October 2023.
  64. https://www.b92.net/biz/promo/promo/26226/lidl-otvara-dve-nove-prodavnice/vest
  65. Web site: Lidl na Slovensku. lidl.sk. sk. 13 October 2023.
  66. Web site: Na dolgem mostu nova Lidlova trgovina, prva v tem delu Ljubljane. lidl.sl. sv. 10 August 2023.
  67. News: Lidl busca 60 nuevos trabajadores: sueldos de 1.200 euros y contrato fijo. elespanol.com. es. 4 October 2023.
  68. Web site: Om Lidl Sverige. lidl.se. sv. 28 September 2022.
  69. Web site: Excom media ag and schwarz media enter into a partnership to market more than 680 pos screens from lidl switzerland. excommedia.ch. de. 1 April 2023.
  70. Web site: About Lidl GB. lidl.co.uk. 13 October 2023.
  71. Web site: Limassol store launch brings Lidl's global network to 12,000 Cyprus Mail . 2022-10-29 . cyprus-mail.com/ . 28 July 2022 . en-GB.
  72. Web site: 11 February 2013 . Lidl came to Norway in 2004, lost in 2008! Lidl is no more! . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20230705164854/https://distrita.com/lidl-came-to-norway-in-2004-lost-in-2008/ . 5 July 2023 . Distrita.
  73. Web site: klix. Dolazak trgovačkog lanca sve izvjesniji: Lidl registriran u BiH. 13 March 2021. bs.
  74. Web site: Petrushevska . Dragana . 2024-04-26 . Lidl starts building supermarket in Bosnia's Mostar - report Bosnia and Herzegovina Investments News SeeNews . 2024-08-20 . seenews.com . en.
  75. Web site: Magazine . CorD . 2024-06-03 . Lidl Expands in Bosnia and Herzegovina with Major Investment Plans . 2024-08-20 . The Region . en-US.
  76. Web site: Lidl. Be our local hero and start your journey with Lidl!. 10 May 2023. en.
  77. Web site: DAN portal. Lidl kupio tri lokacije u Crnoj Gori. 10 May 2023. cnr.
  78. Web site: Фактор. Лидл се отвара во Македонија. 17 February 2021. mk.
  79. Web site: Latest News – Which? News . Which.co.uk . 19 August 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091217173015/http://www.which.co.uk/news/2009/10/lidl-supermarket-starts-cheap-dvd-rental-service-187138.jsp . 17 December 2009 . dead .
  80. Web site: Kukiewicz. Julia. OutNow: A Look Back. choose.co.uk. 28 February 2013. 7 February 2015.
  81. Web site: Lidl launches home baking range in time for National Baking Week. Staff Writer. 2012-10-12. Talking Retail. en-US. 2020-03-13.
  82. Web site: Boxed Partners With Grocery Chain Lidl: Exclusive. Forbes. 15 May 2019. 17 May 2019.
  83. Web site: Amy Woodyatt. Lidl Ireland becomes first major retailer to offer free period products. 2021-04-20. CNN. 20 April 2021 .
  84. Web site: Williams . George . 2023-03-07 . Lidl, sponsor of the 2023 Cycling World Cup in Scotland . 2023-03-09 . Sports Finding . en-GB.
  85. Web site: Connolly . Kate . 2008-03-27 . German supermarket chain Lidl accused of snooping on staff . 2024-07-12 . The Guardian.
  86. Web site: Kelly . Debra . 2017-11-03 . The Untold Truth Of Lidl . 2022-06-20 . Mashed.com . en-US.
  87. News: Crossland . David . Ellson . Andrew . Chickens 'left to die' at Lidl supplier in Germany . . 2024-07-11 . 0140-0460 . subscription . https://archive.today/20240712071327/https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/chickens-left-to-die-at-lidl-supplier-in-germany-jgx5823x2 . 2024-07-12 . live.
  88. Web site: Lidl's chicken scandal . 2024-07-12 . Albert Schweitzer Foundation.
  89. News: Siddique . Haroon . 2022-09-21 . UK government faces court challenge over 'Frankenchickens' . 2024-07-12 . The Guardian.
  90. News: Supermarket in France Mislabels Israeli Products as Moroccan to Dodge Boycott . 24 April 2024 . Morocco World News . 10 November 2023.
  91. News: International retail chain 'Lidl' accused of hiding origin of Israel-imported products with 'Morocco' label . HESPRESS English – Morocco News . 2023-11-10. Hiba El Bouchtaoui.