Lidl US is preparing to overhaul its meat department in time for Independence Day, according to a top company official. The move comes as the German discounter beefs up its efforts to attract customers in a market where it has had difficulty gaining momentum.
The grocer plans to revamp the variety of meat and poultry it stocks and change how it merchandises those products, Chief Customer Officer Frank Kerr said in an interview. Lidl is also planning to launch a private label for its packaged meats, Kerr said, adding that the company is not yet ready to reveal the name of the new brand.
“This is just to better align our entire protein program around what the U.S. shopper expectations are,” Kerr said.
The changes are part of what Kerr called an “assortment transformation” aimed at helping the company “deliver on what the consumer expects from a high-performing U.S. retailer, day in and day out.”
Kerr added that in addition to linking the changes to its meat strategy to July 4th, Lidl is taking a close look at the seasonal goods it carries during holiday periods to generate excitement among shoppers.
“When we have a limited assortment across the store we still want to capitalize on tent-pole moments like the Fourth of July, like fall season, like Thanksgiving,” he said.
Lidl is looking to add sizzle to its meat department as the company reorients its approach to the U.S. grocery market, where it has had trouble expanding since opening its first stores seven years ago. The company closed several locations in 2023 and laid off hundreds of corporate employees over the past two years as it has sought to steady its operations stateside. Last summer, Lidl US brought on Joel Rampoldt as its fifth CEO.
In March, the chain, which runs about 170 stores in the U.S., named four new top-level executives, including Kerr and Tod Seiling, who is overseeing the procurement of perishable goods including meat and poultry as vice president of fresh.
