When he discovered a newspaper article about a painter and retired schoolteacher Ludwig Lidl, he bought the rights to the name from him for 1,000 German marks.

[11] Schwarz rigorously removed merchandise that did not sell from the shelves, and cut costs by keeping the size of the retail outlets as small as possible.

Seidel stepped down from his position in February 2017 after Manager Magazin reported he had fallen out of favour with Klaus Gehrig, who has headed the Schwarz Group since 2004.

Seidel was succeeded as CEO by Dane Jesper Højer, previously head of Lidl's international buying operation.

The company initially focused on opening locations in East Coast states, between Pennsylvania and Georgia,[17] and as far west as Ohio.

[citation needed] Lidl stores have PA systems for important announcements but (with the exception of Hungary and Bulgaria) do not broadcast commercials.

[citation needed] The Lidl operation in the United Kingdom took a different approach from Germany, with a focus on marketing and public relations, and providing employee benefits not required by law, including paying the independently verified living wage and offering a staff discount.

This required significant investment in marketing to produce sales growth but had an effect on Lidl's logistical operation and pressure on profits.

Ronny Gottschlich, who had run Lidl GB for the six years to 2016, was responsible for this approach, which led to friction with head office, due to the cost involved.

The bakeries were initially trialed in a limited number of stores, to determine whether there was a demand for freshly baked products in-store.

[81] The mobile phone brand Lidl Connect was launched in Germany in October 2015 and in Austria and Switzerland in June and July 2019.

In April 2021, Lidl in Ireland started offering customers coupons for free pads or tampons each month as an initiative against period poverty.

[84] In 2008, Lidl was accused by journalists of spying on their workers, listening to private phone calls, and sometimes even following them home or to doctor's appointments.

Investigation footage filmed on a Lidl supplier's farm in Germany showed sick and injured chickens unable to walk and lying in their own waste.

According to the General Directorate of Competition, Consumption & Repression of Frauds (DGCCRF), which oversees the legality and safety of products and services in France, "food presented for sale must offer clear and precise labelling in order to better inform the consumer".