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Lidl
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Lidl (pronounced as [lee-dhll]) is a European discount supermarket chain of German origin that operates 7,000 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 (l-E-dl) 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.
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Encyclopedia
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Lidl (pronounced as [lee-dhll]) is a European discount supermarket chain of German origin that operates 7,000 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 (l-E-dl) 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 33 discount stores.
Store Layout
All Lidl stores follow the same basic layout flow with tins and carbonated drinks in the first aisle and alcohol in the last. The chiller always runs along the back wall of the store, with chilled convenience foods such as sandwiches, pasta salads and fruit in the first chiller bay. Older stores did not have aisle breaks (gaps in between the shelving) that ensured customers followed the flow of the store. This practice has been largely reduced with older stores being re-merchandised to accommodate these breaks. Fruit and vegetables are always in the first aisle of the store, as are bread and cakes.
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. 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. In Italy, in 2003, a judge in Savona sentenced Lidl for anti-union policies, a crime in that country.
In March 2008 the German news magazine "Stern" released a cover story reporting systematic surveillance of Lidl workers, including most intimate details of their private affairs.
Countries with Lidl branches
Current
Planned
Competitors
External links
Corporate site
- (includes links to national sites)
Data
Critical references
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