Lidl graduate jobs and placements

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Lidl careers and training schemes

We are an international chain of grocery stores, operationally successful throughout Europe and beyond and expanding strongly throughout the UK, with over 550 stores nationwide.

The Company

‘Anything but ordinary’ graduate careers.

Only for outstanding, committed individuals

This Autumn the Lidl Roadshow bus toured the nation visiting 23 university campuses to showcase our range of graduate opportunities and award winning placement programme. With a host of give-aways and prize competitions, it offered the chance to meet the recruitment team face to face and gain a whole new perspective on Lidl UK as an award winning employer. Don't worry if you missed the bus, though. Our website is packed with valuable career information, along with full details of current vacancies. It also features our graduate quiz, 'Lidl Known Facts' - a fun way to explore the world of Lidl UK and learn some surprising things on the way.

About us.

As an established international food retailer, with over 590 stores in the UK alone, Lidl are one of the UK's retail success stories. Our simple retail philosophy and efficient working practices allow us to focus on what we do best - providing top quality products at the lowest possible prices. After 17 years, we are still rapidly expanding throughout the UK.

Could you help to drive our business forward and maintain our high standards? We offer fantastic long-term career prospects for a challenging, fruitful career, full of variety. We are as committed to our people as we are to our customers and our success is down to the quality and hard work of the people who work with us.

The majority of our dedicated employees work at the forefront of our commercial operations, providing great service to our loyal customers. There are opportunities to work as Store Assistants, in supervisory roles, Store Management and District Management.

A new view on graduate careers

Uncompromising on quality, we look for the same in our graduates - talented and ambitious people with good commercial awareness, who are excellent communicators and highly motivated. Our exciting opportunities are specifically designed to kick-start your career and help you to achieve your full potential. In our fast paced environment, initiative is key, commitment is essential and all achievements are recognised.

Opportunities for Undergraduates and Professional graduates

Our programmes are designed to train retail managers of the future, but how far you go is ultimately up to you. Graduates with the advantage of some professional experience are warmly welcomed to fast track in our expanding business.

The programmes on offer are:

Graduate Area/District Management roles
Start your graduate career on £33K!!
Based regionally within the UK our Area Managers oversee the day to day operations of a district of stores, ensuring employee wellbeing, customer satisfaction and overall profitability.

Graduate Manager - Buying roles
Do you have the potential to progress into senior management quickly?
Our Wimbledon-based Buying department ensures the best possible range of products is sourced at the most competitive prices for our UK stores.

Graduate Manager Store roles
Gain a career that’s main ingredient is development and progression!
The Graduate Manager Store programme offers the ideal training platform to develop management and leadership skills within retail.

48-week Undergraduate placements
An award winning scheme!
If you’re working towards a business or retail degree, our 48-week placement will fill you with confidence. As an NCWE award winner for ‘Best Work Experience Provider’ in 2010/11, our placement scheme offers you the chance to gain valuable experience and knowledge spread over numerous areas of our business, including, Sales, Warehouse, Property and Construction.

International Traineeship opportunities
See the Lidl world of retail!
Join our 24 month International Traineeship programme if you are looking to gain exposure to all aspects of our European-wide operation before specialising in a chosen area of the business. Your chosen skill base will be put into practice both domestically and abroad.

Training and development at Lidl

Our training and development programmes are tailored towards helping graduates develop their personal, commercial, organisational and management skills. Fulfilling our people’s potential ensures the long term success of our business.

Try our Graduate quiz.

Why not take our ‘Lidl Known Facts’ quiz on our website. You will find plenty of facts on the way as you get an insight into Lidl that will help you understand why we have risen up the ranks on Times Top 100 Graduate Employer for four consecutive years. Progress through the test and you’ll discover our rich history and culture, and the real facts behind our rewards and benefits. You’ll get to understand why we are admired by customers and competitors alike - getting to know us from a new perspective, and revealing why our range of career opportunities for graduates are hitting all the right headlines!

To find out more about the range of graduate opportunities or to try your hand at our ‘Lidl Known Facts’ quiz, please click here

Live Jobs

Training & Profiles

Case Studies

Name: Ben Hulme
Degree: BA (Hons) degree in English and German Studies, 2010
University: The University of Birmingham.
Role: Food Assortment Manager in our Head Office, Wimbledon
Joined: 2011

Why did Lidl appeal?: I saw German as my main marketable asset, so wanted to work for a company where I could use it. Retail enticed me as I saw within it opportunities for early responsibility and progression. Therefore, the chance of a job at Lidl seemed appealing, particularly considering the multinational nature of the company, as well as its plans for growth and expansion.
What did the recruitment process involve?: The first interview was a group interview with about six other candidates and two Directors, followed up by an individual interview with two Directors. The first interview was more general, in order to ascertain suitability for the role. The second interview was much more thorough, and was a mixture of questions about my CV, work related scenarios, and questions in German. My advice – be able to back up anything you say with examples and reasons!
What does your current role involve?: Like every Buyer here, I look after a number of different categories – in my case; wine, spirits, cooking sauces and condiments. My main responsibility is to maintain and develop these categories. Important tasks involve negotiating and developing relationships with suppliers, sourcing and developing new products, monitoring quality and commercial viability of existing products, assessing and responding to market activity, and liaising with the various other departments within Lidl. Knowing a lot about your products and markets is essential. As a Buyer at Lidl you are given a large amount of responsibility and freedom to make decisions about the categories you look after, which is exciting but highly pressured.
What has been your route through the company?: When I started with Lidl in September 2010, I spent three weeks working in store, two weeks working at one of the warehouses, and a couple of weeks within various other departments at Head Office. It is slightly daunting at first, but helps give you a real understanding of the way the company works. I started in the Buying Department in October, where I shadowed Senior Buyers for approximately six months before being given my own categories, and becoming a fully fledged Buyer.
What training have you received?: Almost all of the training is on the job and involves shadowing a Senior Buyer, picking up skills, and being given more responsibility as you progress. Succeeding here requires high levels of self motivation, initiative and drive – if you’re the kind of person that needs a slow, structured training programme, this job isn’t for you. The training and progression reflects the retail environment – fast paced.
Why would you recommend retail?: I can only speak for Lidl, but I can’t imagine many other professional environments where I would have this level of responsibility at such an early stage. Retail is fast paced, demanding, and the hours are often longer than in other professions, but once you get past that, it’s incredibly rewarding, both in terms of job satisfaction, the levels of responsibility, and the fast career progression.
What advice would you give to other graduates looking for a job?: Take your time looking for the job that will suit you. There’s no point in setting your heart on the first company that offers you an interview if it isn’t right for you. Do your homework and put a lot of effort into finding the right job – at the end of the day it’s your career!

Name: Richard Hay
Degree: BA (Hons) joint degree in Manufacturing Engineering and Management Science, 2007
University: University of Strathclyde
Role: Graduate Area/District Manager in our Livingston region
Joined: 2011

Why did Lidl appeal?: I was looking for a challenging role with a company that would support my development and I had a real desire to work with people. I was attracted to Lidl due to the vast size of the organisation and the wide opportunities that would be available to me. Lidl have a great reputation for developing leaders and are committed to development of their people. I was looking for a role that would challenge me and would give me lots of opportunities to grow – and Lidl ticked all the boxes.
What did the recruitment process involve?: I submitted an application form online and then attended a group interview session with forty other candidates. At this session we got the opportunity to find out more about the organisation and hear from the Regional Director for Scotland and previous graduates. This really gave me a flavour of the company and what working for Lidl would be like. After being successful at the group stage I then attended an interview with the Sales Operations Manager to discuss my CV, skill-set and previous roles in other organisations.
What does your current role involve?: I am District Manager for the Inverness region. I am responsible for four stores, have four Store Managers reporting to me and I’m ultimately responsible for the forty-five people that work in my district. I ensure the stores meet their performance targets and that my Store Managers have all the support they need. I am responsible for health and safety, making sure my stores are legally compliant, controlling waste, managing inventory and ultimately ensuring the highest standards of customer service.
What has been your route through the company?: I entered Lidl through their Graduate Area/District Manager Programme. I worked as a Trainee Area/District Manager for ten months before being offered my current role as District Manager for Inverness.
What training have you received?: I spent six months in store learning every role within the store from Sales Assistant up to Store Manager before moving onto District Manager training by shadowing other District Managers. I then moved on to providing holiday cover for the District Managers before then receiving my own district.
Why would you recommend retail?: It is incredibly fast paced and every day is different. When you work in Retail you have to answer to your customers on a daily basis and ensure you are meeting their needs, they soon tell you if you aren’t!
What advice would you give to other graduates looking for a job?: Don’t just apply for every role you see advertised. Think about what roles you want to do and where your strengths lie. Also, think about the type of company you want to work for, working for a great company really makes the difference between getting an okay job and having a successful career.