Lidl Austria repositioning itself

At Lidl Austria, in 2014 the spotlight is on qualitative expansion. In the medium term, all 202 branches will be modernized, Austrian website leadersnet.at reports. In addition, investments will be made in break rooms for employees, each of which will be equipped with two coffee machines. Regionality also plays a big part in the discounter's change of course. Over half of the produce comes from domestic production, according to Alexander Deopito, chairman of the board at Lidl Austria. In the future, this won't just be the case with fruit and vegetables, but also with meat, charcuterie and wines.

The checkout area is known as a strategically important zone in retail. A large part of the total revenue is achieved here, through spontaneous purchases. Not only children, but adults as well like to grab hold of something just before checking out. From now on, however, at the main cash register of all Austrian branches, responsible alternatives for candy will be offered. "That the new products might cause less sales at checkout at first, we take for granted. Because for us, this is about fulfilling a wish the customer has long cherished, to offer a sustainable alternative. If we do that, we are doing well. That's also the reason why we won't go through a testing phase. In the medium term, we also hope to achieve success with the 'healthy checkout', and we see this as an investment in the future", Deopito says.