BERLIN- German discount supermarket chain Lidl has delayed a plan to enter the U.S. market until 2018 after the surprise departure of two top executives last month.
Klaus Gehrig, chief executive of the Schwarz Group which owns Lidl, told German local newspaper Heilbronner Stimme that preparations to enter the United States were proceeding apace but the first stores were only planned for 2018. His comments were confirmed by a Lidl spokeswoman on Monday.
Lidl, which has expanded rapidly in Europe to some 9,000 stores in 26 countries, had been expected to open 100 stores in the United States as early as next year, mainly in East Coast markets like its German arch-rival Aldi.
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