"MEG Weißenfels GmbH & Co. KG" a sister company of Schwarz Produktion operates five bottling plants in Germany and one in Great Britain. In July 2024, it was announced that a Schwarz Group investment company had acquired a 35% stake in the Austrian freight forwarder Gartner. The contract to build the ships was awarded in early 2025 by the Hamburg shipping company "Peter Döhle" and the order was then taken over by Tailwind. In June 2025 it was announced, that Tailwind had ordered five medium-sized container ships with up to 8,400 TEU. Lidl distributes many low-priced gourmet foods by producing each of them in a single European Union country for its whole worldwide chain, but it also sources many local products from the country where the store is located. In 2021, Lidl planned to phase out the selling of cigarettes in all its Dutch stores by 2024 as part of the 'smoke-free generation'.
The company initially focused on opening locations in East Coast states, between Pennsylvania and Georgia, and as far west as Ohio. In 1977, under his son Dieter Schwarz, the Schwarz Group began to focus on discount markets, larger supermarkets, and cash and carry wholesale markets. Schwarz renamed the company Lidl & Schwarz KG and expanded into a food wholesaler. Lidl is the chief competitor of the German discount chain Aldi in several markets.
- In June 2015, the company announced it would establish a United States headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.
- In June 2017, Lidl opened its first stores in the United States in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and other mid-Atlantic cities.
- In September 2025, Lidl announced it would implement a Scan and Go feature into its UK and Ireland Lidl Plus app.
- The bakeries were initially trialed in a limited number of stores, to determine whether there was a demand for freshly baked products in-store.
- The app is available in most European countries where Lidl operates, offering discounts on own brand products and on partner offers.
- Upmarket products were introduced, especially in the lead-up to Christmas.
- The company continued to expand throughout the eastern U.S., with over 100 stores by the end of 2020.
Stores
The chickens in the footage are fast-growing breeds, which reach their kill weight in just 35 days and have higher levels of mortality, lameness and muscle disease than slower-growing breeds. In the Austrian investigation footage, birds were seen attempting to eat the rotting carcasses of other dead chickens. Investigation footage filmed on a Lidl supplier's farm in Germany showed sick and injured chickens unable to walk and lying in their own waste. In 2008, Lidl was accused by journalists of spying on their workers, listening to private phone calls, and sometimes even following them home or to doctor's appointments. In March 2023, Lidl was announced as the sponsor of the 2023 World Cycling Championship held in Scotland.
Lidl-Kunden aufgepasst – an der Kasse gilt: „Die Kamera erkennt absolut alles!“
In September 2025, Lidl announced it would implement a Scan and Go feature into its UK and Ireland Lidl Plus app. Lidl also runs Representative Offices in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Bangladesh, though there is no mention of Lidl stores opening there. In several countries, the app also has a bonus program with cashback. In January 2012, Lidl launched bakeries in their stores across Europe. These are baked and sold in the bakery shops of the Lidl and Kaufland stores in Europe.
Other services
In November 2018, Lidl announced plans to acquire 27 Best Market stores in New York and New Jersey. The company planned to open a total of one hundred U.S. stores by the summer of 2018. Lidl, but legal reasons prevented him from using that name for his discount stores. The LD Stiftung operates the stores in Germany and the Lidl Stiftung & Co. In 2017, Lidl was accused by trade unions in Germany of shutting down stores when workers elect worker councils or opt to engage in collective bargaining with a trade union.
Rewe und Co. können gerne von Lidl abgucken!
The shipping company operates a total of nine container ships (6, ,200 TEU) to transport goods from Asia to Europe. In August 2020, Lidl announced that it planned to open up another 50 stores in the U.S. by the end of 2021. The company continued to expand throughout the eastern U.S., with over 100 stores by the end of 2020.
- Their operations are likely limited to overseeing manufacturing contracts for most of non-food products, offered in Lidl stores, with local manufacturers based in these countries.
- In 1977, under his son Dieter Schwarz, the Schwarz Group began to focus on discount markets, larger supermarkets, and cash and carry wholesale markets.
- In 2017, Lidl was accused by trade unions in Germany of shutting down stores when workers elect worker councils or opt to engage in collective bargaining with a trade union.
- In the Austrian investigation footage, birds were seen attempting to eat the rotting carcasses of other dead chickens.
- The company initially focused on opening locations in East Coast states, between Pennsylvania and Georgia, and as far west as Ohio.
The chocolate mass is not produced inhouse, but delivered by special trucks. In March 2009, construction began on a factory for chocolate bars in Übach-Palenberg. Lidl does not produce anything itself, but the sister company "Schwarz Produktion" produces private labels exclusively for Lidl and Kaufland. Ronny Gottschlich, who had run Lidl GB for the six years to 2016, was responsible for this approach, which led to friction with the head office, due to the cost involved. Upmarket products were introduced, especially in the lead-up to Christmas. Compared to Aldi, there are generally more branded products offered.
In June 2017, Lidl opened its first stores in the United States in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and other mid-Atlantic cities. In June 2015, the company announced it would establish a United States headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Sven Seidel was appointed CEO of the company in March 2014, after the previous CEO Karl-Heinz Holland stepped down. The first Lidl discount store was opened in 1973, copying the Aldi concept. NGOs have called on the supermarket to sign up to the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC), a set of welfare standards which prohibits the use of fast-growing breeds and requires the provision of more space and enrichment for chickens.
The app is available in most European countries where Lidl operates, offering discounts on own brand products and on partner offers. Their operations uspin casino review are likely limited to overseeing manufacturing contracts for most of non-food products, offered in Lidl stores, with local manufacturers based in these countries. As of 2025update, Lidl has a presence with stores in 31 countries, LD Stiftung operates the stores in Germany while Lidl Stiftung & Co. The bakeries were initially trialed in a limited number of stores, to determine whether there was a demand for freshly baked products in-store.
Lidl also partners with Target Corporation's subsidiary Shipt for grocery home delivery. As of May 2019, Lidl US has partnered with Boxed.com to test a home delivery service using the online retailer's technology. In August 2018, Lidl introduced its "Lidl Plus" supermarket loyalty card via an app on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The property area in Übach-Palenberg is approximately 250,000 m2 (2,690,978 sq ft) and almost completely built up. Parallel to the chocolate factory, a large bakery for frozen dough pieces was built in Übach-Palenberg. At the same time as the chocolate factory, a plant for packing nuts, nut mixes and dried fruits was built and put into operation in 2010.