Domestic Values Important at Lidl

In order to support domestic producers and further expand its supplier partner range, Lidl Hungary is launching a complex educational program called ‘Lidl Academy Plus’.

The training focuses on the development of prospective partners, where market participants joining the program can not only participate in sector-focused professional presentations and forums, but also receive a supplier handbook unique on the market as part of the training.

Lidl for Hungarian suppliers
Domestic values have always been important for the store chain, so, in 2013, it launched the ‘Lidl for Hungarian suppliers’ program with the aim of increasing the proportion of high-quality Hungarian products in its selection offered to customers, thus supporting domestic companies in appearing both in Hungary and abroad.
As a result of the effort, the store chain currently has more than 3,300 Hungarian products from almost 500 domestic companies to offer. The company is proud that the share of Hungarian products in its domestic stores is currently close to 60%, the largest proportions can be found in wine (79%), bakery products (65%) and fruit and vegetable (66%). The aim is to increase that number even further.
Hungarian products are also successful as export items, currently 730 products from 490 Hungarian suppliers are available in 24 countries. Thanks to the ‘Lidl for Hungarian Suppliers’ program, the company's export activity is growing significantly year by year, according to which the export turnover of Hungarian suppliers through the Lidl store chain increased by almost 20% in the 2019 financial year compared to the previous year.
Lidl has been working for many years to find the best Hungarian producers and suppliers and to establish long-term partnerships with them. Therefore, within the framework of the program, the Lidl Academy launched a series of events in 2016, which was attended by representatives of nearly 500 domestic companies that learned about the opportunities offered by Lidl in relation to their own products. Thanks to the success of the program and the series of events, many new business relationships have been established, so the store chain now works with more than 490 domestic suppliers and the share of Hungarian products on store shelves is almost 60%.

Lidl Supplier Handbook
The Lidl Academy Plus, launched now as part of the ‘Lidl for Hungarian Suppliers’ program, is a multi-stage educational program providing a complex service, where supplier partners have the opportunity to attend four professional lectures in a year focused on four product groups of fresh goods – such as meat and meat products, bakery products, milk and dairy products as well as fruit and vegetables – and personally consult with market representatives, ask questions on topics that concern and interest them. The novelty of the program is the comprehensive professional publication of nearly 80 pages, based on practical aspects, the Lidl Supplier Handbook, which helps the prospective partner on how to become a partner of a store chain with nationwide coverage. It covers product offerings, pricing, administrative tasks and even efficiency gains.
In addition, a weekly newsletter provides first-hand information on current issues affecting the fresh goods market, so that the knowledge and support gained through this will make the participants the most valuable and prepared suppliers for the store chain.

Multi-level educational platform
“We believe that one of the best strategic cooperation opportunities for domestic producers is if they can call themselves suppliers of the Lidl store chain, which currently has 185 stores with nationwide coverage, as the long-term relationship provides them with a stable source of revenue and continuous development.
Lidl Academy Plus is a multi-level educational platform where Hungarian small and medium-sized companies have the opportunity to acquire the necessary knowledge and network of contacts. As a key player in the Hungarian retail sector, our goal is to support Hungarian suppliers and to promote the self-sufficiency of the Hungarian food industry,” Judit Tőzsér, Head of Corporate Communications at Lidl Hungary said.