Lidl España is marking its 30th anniversary with ambitious plans for expansion. During a celebratory event commemorating three decades of operations in the Spanish market, Imanol Zabala, Director General of Expansion for Lidl España, announced the company’s intent to open 50 new stores in 2025. Additionally, Lidl will inaugurate its largest logistics center in the Iberian Peninsula next May in Martorell, Catalonia.
“We want to give a significant push to investment,” Zabala declared, while acknowledging that recent years saw a slowdown in store openings due to challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This, he noted, affected the speed of obtaining necessary licenses, leading to a call for streamlining bureaucratic processes.
Sustained Growth and Adaptation to Market Trends
Despite the previous hurdles, Zabala pledged to maintain a steady pace of store openings in the coming years. He reaffirmed Lidl’s commitment to its traditional model of physical stores while remaining vigilant about evolving business opportunities and changing consumer habits. “We are constantly reflecting on how to adapt,” he added. Sustainability and technological advancement remain key pillars of Lidl’s strategy, with Zabala highlighting the use of cutting-edge technologies both in-store and in backend operations, such as cloud solutions.
Positive Sales Outlook and Holiday Season Expectations
Jordi Llarenas, Director of Administration and Finance for Lidl España, shared an optimistic outlook for 2024, describing the financial performance as “on track with forecasts” despite a challenging year marked by slower price increases compared to the previous year. Regarding the holiday season, Llarenas expressed cautious optimism, noting that sales were generally performing well and were expected to follow the upward trends of previous years.
Supporting Spanish Agriculture and Exports
Lidl España has reinforced its support for Spanish products and agriculture, as highlighted in a study by PwC. The supermarket chain exported €3.91 billion worth of Spanish agri-food products to international markets in 2023, a 13% increase from the previous year. This export volume represents 5% of Spain’s total agri-food exports.
The company has also emphasized its investments in Spanish suppliers, with procurement spending reaching €8.21 billion in 2023, up 9% from the previous year. Of this, 91% was allocated to direct purchases of Spanish products, including nearly €4 billion worth of food products exported to other markets.
Promoting Spanish Products Abroad
Lidl continues to showcase Spanish products globally through themed campaigns and initiatives like “Sol & Mar,” which involves over 70 Spanish suppliers. These efforts have resulted in purchases exceeding €100 million in locally produced goods.
With over 700 stores in Spain and a workforce of 18,500 employees, Lidl closed 2023 with net sales of €6.57 billion and operates 13 logistics platforms. The upcoming Martorell facility represents the company’s largest investment in recent years, further solidifying its presence and impact on the Spanish market.