Lidl is to invest heavily into extending its store network in Spain in 2013. The Schwarz Group-owned discounter is to invest €120 million in its Spanish arm this year, with plans for store openings, revamping existing stores and the development of logistics infrastructure, said Michael Aranda, managing director for Lidl Spain. The figure marks a 20 per cent increase in spend on the previous year in which the retailer refurbished 65 stores and opened 14.
Plans are underway to extend Lidl's warehouse in Montcada i Reixac, Barcelona, by 8,000 square metres (86,000 square feet), and to build a ninth facility in Lorquí, Murcia, of 40,000 square metres (431,000 square feet).
According to Planet Retail, Lidl reached a trading volume of €2.5 billion with domestic suppliers in Spain last year, including exports, an increase of 20 per cent on 2011. The retailer is emphasising its commitment to the nation's suppliers, saying it was “the number one customer of the Spanish horticulture industry,” in 2012. (27 Feb)
© 2013 - ESM: European Supermarket Magazine by Kevin Kelly
