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Lidl
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG | |
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| Type | German Multi-National |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1930s |
| Headquarters | Neckarsulm, Germany |
| Key people | Dieter Schwarz, Chairman and CEO Gunter Fergen CEO Michael Dönherp CFO |
| Industry | Retail (Grocery) |
| Products | Mainly own brand, with a few larger and regional brands |
| Revenue | $ 45.9 billion (2005)[1] |
| Slogan | Where quality is cheaper |
| Website | www.lidl.co.uk |
Lidl is a European discount supermarket chain of German origin that operates 5,000 stores. In Germany it is Aldi's main competitor. The full name of the company is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG. It belongs to the holding company Schwarz, which also owns the store chains Handelshof and Kaufland.
Lidl has established itself in over 17 countries.
It was founded in the 1930s by a member of the Schwarz family, then called Schwarz Lebensmittel-Sortimentsgrosshandlung. In the 1970s the first Lidl stores of today's incarnation opened.
Lidl is not an abbreviation, but the last name of Ludwig Lidl, a retired teacher. In 1930, Josef Schwarz became a partner in Südfrüchte Grosshandel Lidl & Co., a fruit wholesaler and he developed the company into a general food wholesaler. In 1977, under his son Dieter Schwarz, Lidl&Schwarz began to focus on discount markets, larger supermarkets, and cash and carry wholesale markets. The first Lidl discount store was opened in 1973, copying the Aldi concept. In 1977, the Lidl chain comprised 30 discount stores. Dieter Schwarz’ problem was that he could not just start using the Lidl name. As Schwarz Markt (Black Market) did not seem as a good idea, he bought the right to use the Lidl name from Ludwig for 1000 marks.
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There is some dispute of the pronunciation of the name Lidl. Many people believe that it is pronounced "lid-el" (IPA pronunciation: [/lɪdəl/]), however most television advertisements for the chain contain a jingle pronouncing the Store's name as "lee-dull" (IPA pronunciation: [/liːdəl/]), which is the German pronunciation. This dispute may have arisen due to the fact that a lot of Lidl's european business activities are coordinated (especially customer support centres) from Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland.
Trade unions in Germany and other countries have repeatedly criticised Lidl for mistreatment of workers, breach of European directives on working time and other abuses. These have been published in the "Black Book on the Schwarz Retail Company" published in Germany and now available in English.[2]. The Guardian in the UK amongst other allegations has reported that Lidl spies on its workforce with cameras, makes extensive notes on employee behaviour, particularly attempting to stop employing female workers who might become pregnant and forces staff at warehouses to do "piece-rate" work which is now illegal in the EU. Lidl management denied the charges. No public information is given on the Lidl website about how to contact Lidl senior management and the company hides its ownership structure behind an elaborate network of front companies.[3]
- Canada [4]
- Bulgaria (postponed as of May 2006) [5]
- Latvia[citation needed]
- Lithuania[citation needed]
- Romania (postponed as of May 2006) [5]
- Switzerland[6]
- Aldi (7,000 stores)
- Netto (1,200 stores)
- Kwiksave (UK only)
- Save-A-Lot (1,150 stores, USA only)
- Penny-Markt (Europe) [1]
- Plus [2]
- Dia (Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil)
- Hardi (Slovenia only)
- ^ Aldi abgehängt?. SPIEGEL Online (2006-01-16). Retrieved on January 17, 2006.
- ^ Black Book on Lidl in English
- ^ Guardian newspaper - Cheap - but not so cheerful? An analysis of Lidl. 14 March 2007.
- ^ Every Lidl Hurts (March 2005). Retrieved on February 8, 2007.
- ^ a b (Bulgarian) Германската верига 'Лидл' замразява проекта си в България. Retrieved on February 8, 2007.
- ^ (German) Immobiliengesuche Schweiz. Lidl Schweiz. Retrieved on February 8, 2007.
- Official homepage (includes links to national sites)
- Every Lidl Hurts
- Ver.di's black book (German)
- Lidl demanded that Czech and Polish women workers wear special headbands during their monthly periods
- German hard discounter exposed as bad employer and threat to consumers and suppliers
- Lidl staff ‘Afraid to Complain’?
Major chains: ASDA • Marks & Spencer • Morrisons • Sainsbury's • Somerfield • Tesco • Waitrose
Convenience stores: Budgens • Co-op • Costcutter • Londis • SPAR