Omni Talk’s Anne Mezzenga and Chris Walton sat down with Joel Rampoldt, CEO of Lidl US, at Groceryshop 2025 in the VusionGroup’s booth for his first appearance on the show. Joel shared how this European discount giant—part of the world’s fourth-largest retailer—is differentiating itself in the competitive US grocery market with a fresh-forward approach and relentless focus on quality private brands.
From Management Consulting to Leading a Grocery Revolution
Joel’s path to the CEO role came through an unexpected dinner invitation. After spending decades as a management consultant specializing in grocery retail, he met with Kenneth McGrath, Lidl’s global CEO, who had a surprise agenda: discussing who should lead Lidl US next. Joel didn’t realize he was the candidate until the conversation unfolded.
The opportunity was impossible to resist. Having worked extensively in Europe where discount grocery continues its unstoppable growth, Joel became a firm believer in the Lidl model. Despite the company’s well-publicized struggles in the US market, he knew the business model would eventually succeed and wanted to be part of making that happen.
🔑 The Lidl Difference: Fresh Forward, Private Brand First
A Different Kind of Discount Grocer
Lidl operates 190 stores along the East Coast, from Atlanta to Long Island, with concentrations in three key markets: Atlanta, the DC/Maryland/Virginia/Delaware area, and New York including Northern New Jersey and Long Island. But what sets them apart from other discount grocers is their emphasis on fresh products.
When customers walk into a Lidl store, they’re immediately greeted by fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and fresh bakery items, followed closely by fresh protein. This stands in stark contrast to the cans-and-boxes perception many Americans have of discount grocery stores. Joel explained that while they certainly carry shelf-stable products, Lidl places significantly more emphasis on fresh offerings—a key differentiator in their category.
The stores feature a smaller, more curated footprint than traditional grocers. Their workhorse format going forward is 13,000 square feet, focusing on a tight assortment rather than tens of thousands of SKUs.
Building Brands, Not Just Store Labels
Lidl’s private brand strategy goes beyond typical control brands or store brands. They’re building actual brands—some worth multiple billions of dollars globally. The challenge in the US market is helping consumers complete their journey of accepting private brands as legitimate brands they can trust for repeated purchases.
Joel calls this “the my kids will eat it test”—building customer confidence that these products will never let them down. This represents a cultural shift for many American consumers who are still learning to trust that they can get high-quality fresh products from a value-oriented store.
Global Scale Meets Local Adaptation
As part of the Schwarz Group, Lidl isn’t just the fourth-largest grocery retailer in the world—it’s the fourth-largest retailer, period. With 12,000 stores operating across 30 European countries plus the US, the company brings significant global expertise to the American market.
Their operating philosophy: “As global as possible, as local as necessary.” While they adapt certain elements for the US market—such as using DSD (direct store delivery) for chips and soda, which they don’t do anywhere else in the world—they remain true to the core model that has made them successful globally: best quality, best price, supported by operational excellence.
Real Innovation: From Electronic Shelf Labels to Imported Croissants
Technology That Matters
Joel and his team are constantly looking for ways to “grind out the next few cents”—sometimes dollars, but often nickels, dimes, and pennies—from their cost structure. One significant innovation is the rollout of electronic shelf labels, which saves approximately 22 hours per store per week. Beyond the labor savings, ESLs eliminate an unpleasant task while ensuring pricing accuracy.
The key is what Lidl does with those savings. Rather than operating in silos, the executive team collaborates to determine the best use of efficiency gains—whether that’s better pricing, improved products, or enhanced in-store operations. As Joel emphasized, decisions are made based on what’s best for the customer and company, not individual KPIs.
The Croissant Strategy
Lidl has rebranded itself as “the surprise market,” and part of that identity comes from hero items that deliver extraordinary value. Take their all-butter European croissant imported from France, priced at just 49 cents—what Joel believes is the best food value in the country.
While specialty items like French croissants, Greek olives, Italian cheeses, and European chocolates represent a small percentage of overall sales, they’re hugely important to customers, particularly around holidays and special occasions. These authentic, seasonally relevant products create gifting opportunities with a special touch customers can’t find elsewhere.
Lessons Learned and the Path Forward
When asked about lessons learned from expanding in the notoriously difficult US grocery market, Joel circled back to a fundamental principle: stay true to what works. Lidl has a proven model that succeeds repeatedly across Europe. While they must adapt to US market realities, the core formula remains constant—the right items, best quality, best price, and operational excellence to deliver it all.
Joel’s enthusiasm for the year ahead centers on three priorities: opening new stores, continuing to build brand awareness through the “surprise market” positioning, and launching more hero items that offer unmatched value at their price points.
The Bottom Line
Lidl US is taking a different approach to discount grocery by putting fresh products front and center and building private brands that customers trust as much as national brands. With global scale, local adaptation, and a relentless focus on operational efficiency, they’re working to prove that the European discount grocery model can thrive in America—one 49-cent croissant at a time.
🎧 Want to hear the full conversation? You can also listen via your favorite podcasting platform:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music
Be careful out there,
– Chris, Anne, and the Omni Talk team
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Omni Talk® is the retail blog for retailers, written by retailers. Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga founded Omni Talk® in 2017 and have quickly turned it into one of the fastest growing blogs in retail.