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'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's 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.

Contents

Dispute over pronunciation

Criticism of Lidl treatment of staff

Countries with Lidl branches

Current

Planned

Competitors

References

External links

Corporate site

Data

Critical references

Dispute over pronunciation

There is some dispute of the pronunciation of the name ''Lidl''. Many people believe that it is pronounced "lid-el" (IPA pronunciation: ), however most television advertisements for the chain contain a jingle pronouncing the Store's name as "lee-dull" (IPA pronunciation: ), which is the German pronunciation. This dispute may have arisen because many of Lidl's European business activities are coordinated (especially customer support centres) from Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland.

Criticism of Lidl treatment of staff

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 focusing on attempting to sack female workers who might become pregnant and also 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]

Countries with Lidl branches

Current

★ Austria

★ Belgium

★ Croatia

★ Czech Republic

★ Denmark

★ Finland

★ France

★ Germany

★ Greece

★ Hungary

★ Ireland

★ Italy

★ Luxembourg

★ Netherlands

★ Norway

★ Poland

★ Portugal

★ Slovakia

★ Slovenia

★ Spain

★ Sweden

★ United Kingdom

Planned

★ Romania (2007-2009) ^[4]

★ Canada ^[5]

★ Bulgaria (postponed as of May 2006) ^[6]

★ Latvia

★ Lithuania

★ Switzerland ^[7]

Competitors

★ Aldi (7,000 stores)

★ Netto (1,200 stores)

★ Kwiksave (UK only)

★ Penny Market (Europe) [1]

★ Plus [2]

★ Dia (Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil)

★ Hardi (Slovenia only)

References

1. Aldi abgehängt?
2. Black Book on Lidl in English
3. Cheap - but not so cheerful? An analysis of Lidl.
4. Meciul dintre discounterii Aldi si Lidl se muta in arena romaneasca
5. Every Lidl Hurts
6. Германската верига 'Лидл' замразява проекта си в България
7. Immobiliengesuche Schweiz

External links

Corporate site

★ Official homepage (includes links to national sites)

Data

★ Yahoo! — Lidl & Schwarz Stiftung & Co. KG Company Profile

Critical references

★ 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’?