In 2020, Lidl consolidated its position as the main buyer of oranges, mandarins and lemons in Spain, as well as their main exporter, with the acquisition of 424,000 tons of citrus fruits of Spanish origin, as recently reported by the supermarket chain. The company distributed up to 91% of this volume to its international network of more than 11,200 stores in some thirty countries.
The company works closely with more than 140 suppliers of Spanish citrus fruits located mostly in the Mediterranean region, in the regions of Valencia, Andalusia, Murcia or Catalonia.
"At Lidl, we are firmly committed to supporting the Spanish agricultural sector and we want to continue promoting its development through our purchases and our ability to open new markets for its products," said the general director of Purchasing of Lidl Spain, Miguel Paradela, who added that the firm is working with more and more local suppliers to introduce new regional products in its stores in Spain. In the case of citrus fruits, they already have oranges and lemons from Mallorca or mandarins from Tierras del Ebro, among others.
The main customer of Spanish agricultural products
Lidl has been "the number one customer of Spanish agricultural products" already for a few years, as well as its main export platform, according to a study carried out by the consulting firm PwC. The chain buys more than 16% of all the fruit and vegetables produced in Spain and accounts for up to 14% of all its exports. According to this same report, a total of 45,000 indirect and induced jobs in the sector are already linked to the activity of the supermarket chain.
Source: europapress.es
