LIDL to Construct New Logistics Center in Hungary

The supermarket chain Lidl will be constructing a new logistics center in Hungary in the framework of a HUF 35 billion (EUR 98.8 million) investment project for which the government is providing HUF 1.2 billion (EUR 3.39 million) in non-returnable investment promotion funding.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó stated at the announcement of the project this Tuesday in Budapest that it is particularly important that in the midst of the current international economic difficulties, Lidl has decided to realize its next major investment project in Hungary. The Minister also mentioned that the company will be creating 400 new workplaces at its logistics center.

Chairman of the Board at Lidl Hungary, Jenő Grósz told reporters that the new facility in the Pest County town of Ecser will be the company’s fourth logistics center in Hungary, and according to plan, the 62-thousand-square-meter facility , which is much larger than the company’s existing warehouse units, will be ready by November 2021.

The supermarket chain appeared in Hungary in 2004, and 16 years later, it operates 183 stores and three logistics centres, and is now the second largest retail chain in the country with respect to annual turnover. The company employs over 7,000 people, making it the sixteenth largest employer of Hungarians in Hungary.

The Chairman highlighted the program launched by the company in 2013 for Hungarian suppliers. As he explained, Lidl’s aim with the program is to support the development and international competitiveness of Hungarian farmers and the Hungarian economy. The company currently operates with 490 Hungarian suppliers and the ratio of Hungarian goods in Lidl supermarkets is almost 60%. With relation to the export of Hungarian products, he said that Lidl distributes some 30% of total Hungarian bottled wine exports, making the company the country’s largest wine exporter.

According to the information provided by Lidl Hungary, the company realized a gross turnover of HUF 685 billion (EUR 1.933 billion) in the business year from March 2019 to February 2020.