Lidl Differdange store; Credit: Lidl

As part of its expansion in the Grand Duchy, the Lidl supermarket chain is inaugurating the “Lidl Academy” today, Wednesday 14 June 2023; it will officially open its doors tomorrow, and will provide training to current and future employees of Luxembourg stores. 

The brand now has 13 stores and 378 employees across the Grand Duchy. According to the company's press release, providing continuous training to staff is essential to support the growth of Lidl in Luxembourg, to develop the skills of employees and, thus, to continue to provide a high level of service to customers.

TRAINING EMPLOYEES IN THE EVOLUTION OF BUSINESSES IN RETAILING

The brand's new training organisation is established in Dudelange. It covers an area of 1,026 m2 including the training centre and meeting rooms, and also has 245 m2 of administrative offices. It makes it possible to train employees and thereby obtain recognised professional certifications. Checkout services, customer advice, inventory management, replenishment of shelves, team management, product knowledge, in-store safety are some examples of training that will be offered to staff.

The training centre has several areas dedicated to retail trades. For example, the “checkout” room allows employees to be immersed in the environment of checkout employees. This module trains personnel in a controlled situation on multiple topics, including recycling, payment technologies and services, problems that may arise during check-out and their solutions, ergonomics to ensure the well-being of employees, etc

Julien Wathieu, spokesperson for Lidl in Luxembourg, stated: “Staff support is a priority for us. It allows the brand to give more responsibilities to profiles who are already fully aware of the company's culture, strategy and objectives. For employees, this promotion policy is an opportunity to evolve, train and grow within our company.”

A LOCAL TRAINING CENTRE TO SUPPORT LIDL'S FUTURE EXPANSION IN LUXEMBOURG

Lidl intends to continue its expansion in Luxembourg. In the medium term, the brand will renovate three supermarkets in the current store base, through demolition-reconstruction or by moving to a city where the company is already present. The brand continuously analyses the market and every opportunity that can support its growth ambitions. Therefore, new hires are already being studied.

For these newcomers, an adapted training course is necessary: each newcomer will have the chance to participate in an integration day and will have a training course adapted to the position held within the brand, whether in supermarket or in a management position. The course of a new employee includes all the training necessary for the exercise of his functions in total autonomy: training in the profession, team management or safety standards.

“We are convinced that the success of our brand depends in particular on the audacity and efficiency of our employees, and we do everything we can to encourage them to develop their skills and take more initiatives. Our Lidl Academy therefore reinforces the skills that employees need to perform their tasks as well as possible, but also makes it possible to anticipate changes and promotion to positions with more responsibility. It’s an obvious way to maintain the quality and motivation of our teams,” concluded Julien Wathieu.