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Lidl: A taste of the future?

Jon Springer, Executive Editor

October 3, 2014

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Lidl: A taste of the future?

While German-born discounter Aldi continues a successful expansion in the United States, its homeland rival Lidl is planning to make a similar voyage.

Klaus Gehrig, CEO of Lidl parent Schwarz Group, told the German newspaper Heilbronner Stimme this spring that plans for a U.S. expansion were “in full swing” but that stores wouldn’t likely arrive stateside until 2018.

See related story: Lidl CEO confirms U.S. plans, with delay

As reported previously in SN, Lidl has established a U.S. office in Arlington, Va., headed by executives from its division in Ireland. The company had around $98 billion in sales in fiscal 2013. Analysts expect that when Lidl does arrive, it would stick to markets where Aldi had proven the limited-assortment, private-brand focused, model could work.

SN recently had the occasion to drop in on a Lidl store in its home country. The store near the Bavarian city of Augsburg, neighbored a rival Aldi in an adjacent shopping center.
 

About the Author

Jon Springer

Executive Editor

Jon Springer is executive editor of Winsight Grocery Business with responsibility for leading its digital news team. Jon has more than 20 years of experience covering consumer business and retail in New York, including more than 14 years at the Retail/Financial desk at Supermarket News. His previous experience includes covering consumer markets for KPMG’s Insiders; the U.S. beverage industry for Beverage Spectrum; and he was a Senior Editor covering commercial real estate and retail for the International Council of Shopping Centers. Jon began his career as a sports reporter and features editor for the Cecil Whig, a daily newspaper in Elkton, Md. Jon is also the author of two books on baseball. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English-Journalism from the University of Delaware. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his family.

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