Diving brief:
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German discount grocer Lidl has undergone a new round of layoffs in the United States, a Lidl spokesperson said in an email on Thursday.
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The cuts affected corporate roles across three Lidl US units. People affected by the layoffs held roles ranging from administrative assistant to senior IT specialist, according to LinkedIn posts.
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The layoffs came just over a year later Lidl US has laid off nearly 200 employees – Primarily affects employees at its U.S. headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.
Insight Diving:
The layoffs are the latest move by Lidl to right-size its U.S. operations as it struggles to make gains while rival Aldi hits the accelerator.
“Lidl US has made the difficult decision to eliminate corporate roles across three functions within the company. Although this decision was never easy, we believe it is the right decision for the company,” a company spokesperson wrote.
A Lidl spokesman in the United States declined to comment How many workers are affected? LinkedIn posts from several laid off employees indicated that the layoffs are part of the company's restructuring plan. The marketing director who was laid off in A LinkedIn video Posted Thursday that graphic designers, content producers, social media managers and IT workers were included in the layoffs.
Lidl's laid-off workers in the US will receive severance packages and career transition support, the spokesman said.
The job cuts last year came at a time when Lidl US was restructuring the company and aiming to bolster its financial health. Lidl US also underwent a round of layoffs at its US headquarters a few years ago, according to German business magazine Lebensmittel Zeitung.
Lidl opened its first US stores in 2017, but has struggled to find its stride and grow in the US. Meanwhile, competitor Aldi, which It entered the United States in the 1970scontinues on Rapidly expanding its store fleetwith plans to open an additional 800 stores by the end of 2028.
Earlier this month, Lidl US named… Four new CEOs: A new chief commercial officer, the first-ever chief customer officer, and two vice presidents – one to oversee new operations and one to oversee marketing.
The new appointments come just a few months after Lidl US appointed Joel Rumboldt as its new CEO. Rumboldt appointment Former partner and managing director of consulting firm AlixPartners Who had no previous experience at Lidl, it was a departure for The company's pattern of hiring internal executives To lead country operations.
Rumboldt is the fifth CEO to lead Lidl US since the discount company began US operations in 2013.
Jeff Wells contributed reporting
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