Dive Brief:
- Joel Rampoldt is no longer CEO of Lidl US, the discount grocery chain confirmed Wednesday.
- Rampoldt, who has been chief executive of the grocer since 2023, is now serving as an advisor to the German-owned company, a spokesperson for the discounter said in an emailed statement. Marco Giudici, Lidl US’s chief customer officer and former CEO of Lidl Romania, will lead the discounter as interim CEO.
- Rampoldt’s exit comes as Lidl struggles to find its footing in the U.S. grocery market nearly a decade after opening its first stateside stores.
Dive Insight:
Rampoldt stepped into the Lidl US CEO role in mid-2023 after serving as partner and managing director of consulting firm AlixPartners. He was the fifth person to assume the CEO role since the discounter established its U.S. headquarters in 2015.
While Lidl has a reputation for appointing internal execs to lead country operations, Rampoldt took over the top role in Lidl US without any prior experience at the company.
Under Rampoldt’s leadership, Lidl made numerous changes aimed at boosting the discounter’s image among American consumers. This included relaunching its brand and emphasizing fresh departments while also trying to play up the company’s focus on low prices and efficiency.
Lidl US also appointed several new senior executives during Rampoldt’s tenure, including its first chief commercial officer. Last year, Lidl US launched its first fresh meat private label as part of efforts to revamp its meat selection.
Underscoring the challenges Rampoldt faced as CEO, a top Lidl US executive noted during a presentation at the Groceryshop conference in 2024 that many people in parts of the U.S. where Lidl has stores were not aware that the company is a grocer.
Lidl is a formidable name in Europe, and it has opened nearly 200 stores in the roughly nine years it’s been operating stores in the U.S. But its growth has been overshadowed by that of rival Aldi, which has been opening stores at a much faster pace and aims to have more than 3,000 U.S. locations by 2028.
As it tries to hone its U.S. operations, Lidl US’s top executive role has become something of a revolving door. Rampoldt was preceded as CEO by Michal Lagunionek, who assumed leadership of Lidl US in 2021 after heading Lidl’s Polish unit. Lagunionek replaced Johannes Fieber, who had served as president and CEO of Lidl US since 2018.
