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Spain: Germany's Aldi and Lidl strengthen their commitment to the Basque Country and exceed 50 supermarkets

Discount Retail Chain Lidl and Aldi have not stopped growing since opening Lidl's first store in Gernika in 1994. Lidl's currently has a network of more than 30 stores strategically distributed across the Basque map and employs more than 1,000 people, including store staff, regional management, and logistics platforms.


Specifically, Lidl's commitment to the Basque Country materialized four years ago with its logistics platform. It is the brand's second-largest logistics hub in the country and its benchmark warehouse for the north, making the region a strategic point for the brand.

Garazi Devesa details in Crónica Vasca how this commitment continues to bear fruit today and outlines the expansion plans of the German firm in the region.


Lidl's impact on the territory

In the last six years, Lidl's global footprint on Basque GDP has increased by 35%, reaching an annual contribution of more than 285 million euros.


How has LIDL's presence in the Basque Country evolved?

Thirty-two years after our first opening, we have become a strategic player for the region, with a consolidated commercial network made up of 32 stores (17 in Bizkaia, 10 in Gipuzkoa, and 5 in Álava). However, the most important thing is not the number, but how we have transformed our value proposition. In recent years, we have modernized our network by committing to sustainability and promoting a much more comfortable and agile shopping experience for our customers.


Looking back, milestones such as the opening in Zarautz—our largest supermarket in the Basque Country—or the comprehensive renovation of our store in Gernika (which replaces the exact store where our presence in the region began) show that our commitment is long-term. This evolution is supported by a first-class logistics infrastructure: our platform in Nanclares de la Oca, the company's second-largest in Spain, supplies a large part of our points of sale in the north of the country.


What is the economic impact of Lidl in the Basque Country?

In the last six years, Lidl's global footprint on Basque GDP has increased by 35%, reaching an annual contribution of more than 285 million euros today (0.34% of the Basque Country's GDP). Similarly, the total impact on employment has grown steadily. During this same period, direct, indirect, and induced employment increased by 30%. This means that, beyond the thousand direct employees who make up our workforce, our activity already supports more than 5,600 jobs in the region, representing 0.57% of total Basque employment.


What is the estimated investment that LIDL has made since it arrived in the region?

Since our arrival in the Basque Country, Lidl has maintained a constant investment in the region. Proof of this commitment is that over the last ten years, we have allocated almost 200 million euros to our plan to expand and modernize our stores and logistics network.

This commitment has allowed us to boost our logistics platform in Nanclares de la Oca, which we opened in 2021 and which remains one of the company's most important hubs in the country. It has also enabled key recent projects: the new supermarket in Zarautz (almost 6 million euros), the renovation of our store in Gernika (5.5 million), and the recent opening of our fifth store in Vitoria (more than 5 million).


In what ways does your commitment to the Basque Country translate today?

Our commitment to the Basque Country is firm and responds to our objective of generating shared value throughout the territory. This growth strategy is based on three pillars: continuous investment in new infrastructure, with modern stores that incorporate the most demanding efficiency standards in the sector; the promotion of the local business fabric—both through the construction and maintenance of our network involving local companies, and through the purchase of regional products, which already reaches 102 million euros per year; and, finally, a commitment to people, acting as a driver of stable and quality employment.


Exceeding a thousand direct employees in the Basque Country is a milestone, but our goal is to continue growing. At the moment, for example, we are promoting the recruitment of local talent in key areas such as Gipuzkoa, where we are going to strengthen both our store teams and middle management, offering an employment model based on stability and professional development.


Are there any new openings planned soon?

Our goal is to be closer and closer to Basque consumers, making an offer with the best value for money available to all our customers. In this sense, the Basque Country is a priority region in our growth plans. As a sign of this commitment, we are already working on the construction of a new store in Bergara, which is scheduled to open by the end of the year. But our plans don't stop there; our roadmap for the remainder of 2026 and 2027 includes opening several new points of sale in the Basque Country.


What is the commercial relationship between LIDL and Basque suppliers? What figures are we talking about?

At the moment, we collaborate with around thirty local suppliers who ensure that customers find products on our shelves with the seal of quality and local proximity that is so valued in the Basque Country. This commitment translates into an annual purchase volume that already reaches 102 million euros.


Of this total, we export 53 million euros worth of goods to our network of stores in other international markets. This means that more than half of what we buy in the Basque Country doesn't just stay in the community, but travels through our logistics network so that local products reach homes in other countries. We therefore act as an internationalization platform that brings the excellence of Basque products to all corners of Europe.


In recent years, there has been an increase in the cost of living. Has this been reflected in the consumption habits of Basque customers?

What we are seeing in the Basque Country is an evolution toward a more conscious consumer who seeks maximum efficiency in their daily purchases. Consumers now visit our stores more frequently to better manage their pantries and avoid waste, always prioritizing value for money.


In this scenario, our own private label brands have ceased to be just an alternative and have become the first choice: customers see that they can buy quality products without their wallets suffering. For us, this is not a temporary shift, but the consolidation of a purchasing model where savings do not mean sacrificing excellence.


How has this affected the cost of LIDL products?

Regarding the increase in costs, Lidl works under a clear premise: to act as a shield against price increases. Thanks to our business model, which is based on maximum logistical efficiency and a highly optimized cost structure, we have made an extraordinary effort not to pass on production cost increases entirely to the final price paid by the consumer. Our goal is for the customer not to have to choose between savings and quality, especially in an economic context as complex as the current one.


Have you experienced an increase in private-label consumption due to this rise in the cost of living?

Rather than "private label," we prefer to talk about "own brands," as this term more accurately reflects the value of innovation and quality assurance that we assume directly for the final product. In this sense, our commitment to our own brands is absolute; it is the basis of our business model. Currently, Lidl brands (such as Milbona, Bio Organic, Vemondo, Solevita, Cien, or Formil) represent 85% of our assortment. For us, it is not just an alternative; it is the best tool to democratize quality, and we constantly innovate to ensure that consumers find quality products at the best price.


Similarly, our commitment to sustainability and local products is unwavering. Currently, local production accounts for approximately 70% of our assortment. For us, it's not just a number; it's a reflection of our commitment to the Basque and Spanish agri-food sectors, prioritizing local sourcing to guarantee maximum freshness while promoting economic development and employment.


In this region, there is a strong sense of loyalty to local brands like Eroski or BM. What is the competition like, and how does LIDL build customer loyalty here?

Our strategy to build Basque consumer loyalty is based on offering a distinct value proposition that combines absolute respect for local products with the efficiency of our global model. In line with this, we have more than 230 Basque product references on our shelves, ensuring that the seal of origin and quality is always present.


We have shown that we are an engine for the Basque Country: we invest here, generate stable employment, and act as an export platform to more than 30 countries. The fact that we make it easier for Basque products to be known and consumed throughout Europe is a differentiating value that our customers appreciate enormously.



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