The Swiss head of Lidl has confirmed that the discount German supermarket plans to open 60 new branches in Switzerland in the future. The announcement comes as local, luxury and discount stores continue to fight over prices, locations and customers.
On the occasion of opening its 186th store, Lidl Switzerland CEO Nicholas Pennanen confirmed they will be continuing their rapid expansion in the alpine nation. "In the medium term, a network of at least 250 stores is realistic," he told CH Media.
The stores in question will be primarily built in and around the largest Swiss cities, though Pennanen admitted that it is “quite difficult” to find viable locations. Along with major hubs, they are also looking at “white zones” in rural areas of French-speaking Switzerland, where building a Lidl would be profitable.
With the addition of 60 new stores, which need between 20 and 25 workers each, Pennanen predicted that they would offer 300 new jobs in Switzerland every year for the foreseeable future. At least 10 new stores will be added annually until the 250 mark is reached.
The confirmation comes as Swiss supermarkets and others continue to expand across the country. Pennanen said he wasn’t too concerned about other brands: "Ultimately, it is good for customers, because for them the offer increases."
At the same time, many of the conventional local brands have begun to try and compete with German discounters on price - in October, Migros confirmed that it would cut the price of 1.000 everyday goods in a bid to compete with Aldi and Lidl. However, the Swiss giants have a long way to go, with a study from A Bon Entendeur finding they are still more expensive than their German rivals.
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