LIDL
Founded in year
1930
How many employees
Approximately 150.000 worldwide.
In which regions does the food company operate
Europe, with plans for worldwide expansion e.g. to Serbia, Canada, Mexico etc.
Number of brands
At least 75.
5 Biggest brands
Vita d’Or, Vitafit, Bremer Kaffee, Crusti Croc, Fresh King
Introduction
Lidl, a German discount supermarket chain, was founded in 1930 by a member of the Schwarz family. The first Lidl store was opened in 1973 and by the 1980s, Lidl was a household name throughout Germany. Lidl sells mainly own brands and a few larger and regional brands and has around 8.600 stores in over 20 countries in Europe.
Fairfood’s role
In February, Fairfood International visited Europe’s biggest discount supermarket chain, with over 7200 stores worldwide: Lidl. Their global headquarters are located in a small village in Swabia in the South of Germany.
Despite all the groundwork that went into securing our initial meeting with Lidl last summer, the information we received from them on their approach to sustainability was unsubstantial at best. Furthermore, in the most recent meeting we had with them in February it seemed like Lidl is not a transparent company. When asked on their approach to sustainability in the supply chain of their 1600 home brand products, they stated that they do enough. However, working together with implementation partners, e.g. FLO (Fairtrade Labelling Organisation) with about 10 certified products out of an assortment of 1600 products seems to be the only visible commitment so far.
Nonetheless, since that meeting, they have made some steps in transparency towards Fairfood International. Even though these efforts are not entirely adequate, they are a step in the right direction and we are in contact with them with the hope that they make these steps more substantial.
Current status
Fairfood International is in the midst of a constructive dialogue on sustainability with the supermarket chain.
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