Lidl has opened its first supermarkets in Estonia. The German discount chain is now active in all Baltic states, although the entry was not without a struggle.
Last week, Lidl opened the doors of no less than eight stores in Estonia. The supermarkets opened in the capital Tallinn and three other Estonian cities, where they were immediately greeted by queues of curious visitors on the opening day. This was reported by the German newspaper Zeit. Overall, Estonia is the 31st country where Lidl is established.
Lidl is now present in all three Baltic States and in 2016 the discounter first launched in Lithuania followed by the first stores in Latvia in October. The Estonian entry was in preparation for several years. Owner Schwarz Group pumped 80 million euros into the launch, which would create over 1,000 new jobs in the country of 1.2 million inhabitants.
For Lidl, the Baltic States are an interesting market, because rival Aldi is not yet present there. In Latvia and Lithuania, the arrival of the chain is said to have had a big impact and put the traditional supermarket players under pressure.
However, a previous attempt some fifteen years ago failed miserably. Lidl had already bought properties here and there, hired employees and had concrete plans on the table, but in 2006, the German group pulled the plug. All properties were sold again and the employees were fired.
