THIS SUPERMARKET HAS BEEN NAMED ‘GROCER OF THE YEAR’ BY INDUSTRY EXPERTS

• Lidl GB has been named ‘Grocer of the Year’ by industry experts at The Retail Week Awards
• Discounter beat competitors Aldi, M&S, Sainsbury’s, and Tesco
• News comes as Lidl named fastest growing supermarket for six months in a row¹

08 MARCH – This week, a panel of industry experts named Lidl GB ‘Grocer of the Year’ at the Retail Week Awards – beating competitors Aldi, M&S, Sainsbury’s, and Tesco.

Judges included former CEO of Sainsbury’s and current Chair of New Look and Oak Furnitureland, Mike Coupe, Managing Director of Co-op Food, Matt Hood, and former CEO of Co-op Food and current CEO of Matalan, Jo Whitfield.

Judges said Lidl won due to its impressive growth over the past 12 months and its value offering. They were impressed by its community involvement, such as offering food donations, product quality and amazing prices.

Furthermore, one judge concluded that “Lidl has got a tremendous business where it’s captured a lot of market share. Unless the rest of the supermarkets do something, that’s going to continue.”

Having invested £100 million to help maintain its low prices, Lidl saw 1.4 million more customers come through its doors during the judging period². It has also been crowned cheapest supermarket for over 12 months by Manchester Evening News³ and held the title in six out of eight of The Grocer’s Super 33 price comparisons⁴.

Ryan McDonnell, Lidl GB CEO commented: “We're thrilled to be named Grocer of the Year, an especially poignant accolade with 2024 marking our 30th anniversary in Great Britain. When the doors to our first store opened back in 1994, our promise was simple, offer customers great quality food at unbeatable value, and this commitment still stands.

“Big on Quality, Lidl on Price isn’t just a brand slogan. It's a promise that epitomises what our business stands for, and encapsulates our commitment to social responsibility and sustainability which is core to our DNA. Over the years, this has helped contribute towards a significant change in the way that British households shop for their groceries.”

The news comes after Lidl was named fastest growing supermarket for six months in a row by Kantar, notably becoming the only grocer to achieve double-digit growth since the start of the year¹.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

References

1. Kantar, 12 weeks to 18 February 2024
2. Lidl GB CEO vows to maintain relentless focus on price as discounter attracts additional 1.4 million shoppers
3. Supermarket has been the cheapest for these essentials every week for a year
4. Super Grocer 33, The Grocer

About Lidl GB

Since establishing itself in Great Britain in 1994, Lidl GB has experienced continuous growth and today has over 31,000 employees, over 960 stores and 14 distribution centres in England, Scotland and Wales.

As part of the Schwarz retail group, Lidl is one of Europe’s leading organisations in the food retail industry. The supermarket, which has around 376,000 employees globally, currently operates approximately 12,200 stores and more than 220 logistics centers and warehouses in 31 countries.

The supermarket takes pride in providing its customers with the highest quality products at the lowest possible prices throughout Great Britain, from Kirkwall to the Isle of Wight. Social responsibility and sustainability are at the core of the company's daily operations, with the company placing a strong emphasis on its responsibility for people, society, and the environment. Lidl GB is passionate about working with British producers and sources two thirds of its products from British suppliers.

The Schwarz Group, which operates worldwide as a retail group, generated a turnover of €154.1 billion in the financial year 2022.

For more information about Lidl GB visit https://corporate.lidl.co.uk/