The role of Spanish agri-food exports in Lidl's profit and loss account is becoming increasingly important.That's why the German company, together with ICEX, organised an event dedicated to the export of the Spanish brand as a stage for the presentation of its report on the impact of the company in Spain in 2022, a document prepared by the consultancy firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC).

The purchase of Spanish products, from more than 900 suppliers, acounted for 6.7 billion euros in 2022. They were sent to the shelves of Lidl's 11,500 stores in 32 countries. As a result, more than half of this investment, up to 3.459 billion euros, was destined for export. Compared to 2017, the volume of exports increased by 58% in five years.

Key partner
As Ferran Figueras, Lidl Spain's Corporate General Manager, explained, in 2022 "Lidl's total spending and investments with Spanish suppliers increased by 17% compared to 2021, amounting to 7.559 .illion euros". For regions such as Andalusia, Murcia, Valencia and Extremadura, this potential buyer and exporter makes Lidl a leading partner.

According to Figueras, "Lidl has been the leading buyer of Spanish horticultural products for many years, as well as its internationalisation platform, accounting for 14.8% of all fruit and vegetable exports nationally. Since 2015 alone, Lidl has increased its contribution to Spanish fruit and vegetable exports by 103%."

Boosting internationalisation
Speaking at the event, Elisa García, Managing Director of ICEX-Invest in Spain, highlighted the fundamental role played by foreign multinational investment in Spain. Their exports account for 40% of total exports and generate more than 15% of total employment. The role of companies such as Lidl in promoting the internationalisation of the agri-food sector, thanks to its collaboration with Spanish suppliers, is a major contributor to this.

The event was also attended by María Naranjo, Director of ICEX's Food Industry Division, for whom the commitment of companies in the sector to excellence, innovation and diversity is the real driving force behind Spain's position as a leading exporter.

Job creation
With more than 670 stores and 12 logistics platforms in Spain, Lidl directly employs around 18,500 people in our country. In addition, it indirectly and inductively generated 172,214 jobs in 2022. Provinces with higher unemployment rates than the national average account for 41% of these jobs, while 30% are located in sparsely populated or ageing provinces.

Thanks to the purchase and export of local products, the company closed the financial year 2022 with a trade surplus of 1.95 billion euros, a figure that contributed to reducing Spain's trade deficit by 2.9%. It also increased its contribution to the Spanish economy to 8.19 billion euros, representing 0.68% of national GDP.

Promotional campaigns
The supermarket chain now accounts for 14.8% of Spanish fruit and vegetable exports. ICEX estimates that in 2022 Spanish exports will exceed 389 billion euros, more than 66billion euros of which will be agri-food products.

In addition to the regular export of Spanish agri-food products, Lidl launches promotional campaigns such as the Sol&Mar themed week, which has been held three times a year in its stores in Europe and the United States since 2014, and the Andalusian week, which has been on its shelves since 2022. Last year, these two initiatives generated a turnover of 110 million euros.

Figueras assures that "Lidl will continue to redouble its efforts to continue exporting Spanish products, generate wealth and jobs throughout Spain and, above all, continue to strengthen its commitment to Spanish brandsand Spanish society". 

^{Photo: Lidl}