On the Romanian market, since the first year, Lidl Romania has proven to be an important competitor. Coming from the same family with the other giant, Kaufland, it cemented its presence in Romania. Either through the large profits or through the investments made, the retailer has grown rapidly. Thus, at the end of 2020, it was established in the first place in Romania.
The year 2020, a year of crisis, but a year of profit for Lidl Romania
The supermarket chain has one of the largest retail networks in Romania. That is if we take into account the income of recent years. The year 2020, although a year of crisis and pandemic, for Lidl Romania was a profitable one. According to the data, the German chain managed to become the largest retailer in Romania in terms of sales this year. In August 2020, the CEO of Lidl Romania, Frank Wagner, declared that this is the company’s intention.
“If we succeed in what we have done in the last three, four years, when we have grown three, four times faster than the market average, we are confident that we can reach the first place this year, but this is not a goal in yes. ”says Frank Wagner.
The data show that at the end of last year the retailer had a profit of over 12.8 billion lei. Until then, the younger brother, Kaufland was in first place. Lidl managed to surpass Kaufland by 27.1 million lei, at the end of 2020. Compared to the end of 2019, in 2020 Lidl managed a spectacular increase by 31.7% compared to the previous year.
Retailer investments in 2020
As they have proposed since 2019, Lidl Romania has continued its expansion strategy. Thus, last year they managed to open about 15-20 stores. In 2019, they managed to open 21 new stores nationwide. Also in 2020, Lidl Romania started the construction of a new warehouse near Bucharest, the sixth in Romania. According to CEO Wagner, construction must be completed in 2022.
The investment budget for 2020 was 200 million euros, according to the CEO of Lidl Romania. Lidl Romania currently has over 260 stores and over 8,500 employees in Romania.
When it comes to retail market trends, Frank Wagner says the pandemic has changed Romanians’ buying habits. Thus, Lidl customers go shopping less often, but buy more in one session.
“The pandemic has accelerated the trend in terms of shopping efficiency.
The stores become a one-stop shop, offering a wide range of products needed by customers. This is a trend that will continue in the future “, said Frank Wagner, CEO of Lidl Romania.
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