Lidl's global growth – a success story
The discount chain Lidl has established itself as one of the world's fastest-growing grocery chains, with over 12,000 stores in more than 30 countries and an annual turnover of 130 billion dollars. Despite the misfortune in Norway, Lidl has experienced massive success globally.
Schwarz Group in numbers
- Revenue: €167.2 billion
- Stores: 1500 worldwide
- Employees: 575,000 people worldwide
- Operates in: 33 countries.
(2023 numbers)
Its parent company, The Schwartz Group, which also operates the supermarket chain Kaufland, is also experiencing success. Due to archaic German accounting laws, 2023 is only available these days, but there is reason to believe that the success will continue. Lidl is on the rise.
Lidl's parent company, The Schwarz Group, had a successful fiscal year 2023, generating revenue of 167.2 billion euros across all business units (revenue up 8.5%). Higher prices due to inflation, improved processes and further digitalization made it possible to generate additional revenue with the same number of employees (575,000), it says in a press release.
Lidl in numbers
- Revenue: €125.5 billion
- Stores: 12,500 worldwide
- Employees: 360,000 worldwide
- Operates in 31 countries
(2023 numbers)
The higher purchase prices, in particular for merchandise, raw materials, energy and transport, as well as higher interest rates, were partially absorbed thanks to efficient process and cost management. The focus on pricing and design of the product range meant that customers of Lidl and Kaufland could count on the same attractive prices as always, despite inflation, argues the top brass of Lidl. The number of stores rose by some 200 to roughly 13,900.
Lidl alone generated revenue of 125.5 billion euros at its stores, up 9.4% year on year. At Kaufland, revenue rose by 7.8% to 34.2 billion euros. Online revenue totalled 1.7 billion euros (down 9.4%), which put it level with the figure for fiscal year 2021. This decline was in line with market developments for online shops in Germany following a phase of remarkably high revenue fuelled by the pandemic.
Dieter Schwarz
- $50.1 billion Real Time Net Worth as of June 2025.
- Number 30 in the world today.
Dieter Schwarz's Schwarz Group is comprised of the Kaufland and Lidl discount supermarkets.
Schwarz inherited the company from his father, Josef, who became a partner in Suedfruechte Grosshandel Lidl & Co., a fruit wholesaler, in 1930.
Dieter opened the first Lidl store in 1973, became CEO in 1977 when Josef died, and built Schwarz Group into Europe's largest retail empire, with more than 500,000 employees.
Lidl entered the U.S. in 2017, promising to convince consumers to "Rethink Grocery." Its stores are mostly in Virginia and North and South Carolina.
Schwarz Group is owned by a foundation, technically a limited liability company, but Dieter maintains full control and is the effective owner. (Forbes)
PreZero is one of Germany's leading environmental service providers, supporting businesses as they transition to a recyclable future and reduce their carbon emissions, the “carbon footprint” and other relevant environmental impacts. PreZero had good news to report when it came to market development, with a significant year-on-year increase in the number of municipalities turning to Schwarz Group's environmental division for waste disposal services. However, falling prices in some of the markets for recyclable materials caused revenue to decline by 5.9% year on year to 3.7 billion euros.
The production companies of Schwarz Group supplied goods worth approximately 4.2 billion euros, largely to Lidl and Kaufland, resulting in a revenue increase of 26% year on year. This result was due primarily to the growth at Schwarz Produktion and the expansion to include the coffee, pasta, and paper product groups. In addition, the beverage plant in Derby (United Kingdom) successfully commenced operations, marking Schwarz Produktion's first location outside of Germany.
Total investments amounted to approximately 8 billion euros in fiscal year 2023, with a particular focus on modernizing and expanding stores, new warehouse locations, and securing supply chains.
"This stable fiscal year 2023 reflects first and foremost our operational excellence across all fields of business and the impressive commitment of our employees," argues Gerd Chrzanowski (54), CEO of Schwarz Group since 2021 and with 25 year long history in the company.
Lidl was founded in 1932 by Josef Schwarz as a fruit wholesaler in Germany. Under the leadership of his son, Dieter Schwarz, the company has grown to become one of the world's largest discount chains. The chain has successfully expanded internationally by offering high quality at low prices, while optimizing operations to keep costs down.
Sources: Lidl, Schwartz Group, Handelsblatt, Dansk handelsblad, NHH Food, Forbes.