“We had a phenomenal 2018. We managed to beat the growth pace of 2017, which had been a good year, too,” says Frank Wagner, the German executive who runs Lidl’s operations in Romania.
Lidl’s sales went up almost 17% in 2017 to RON6.5 billion.
The rise in sales was because of the increase in consumer spending, on the one hand, and the fast-paced expansion, on the other. The retailer opened 20 new stores in 2018, which is second fastest expansion rate since officially arriving in the country.
It also posted like-for-like growth, having gained new customers, while at the same time the average cash receipt increased. Another factor that drove the business up was expansion, Lidl Romania’s CEO said.
Lidl arrived in Romania by buying Plus Discount, which had 100 stores. It has since expanded to 240 stores.(EUR1=RON4.7410)
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)