The boss of Lidl’s British arm is preparing to “pass… on the baton” when he joins Lidl Germany as chief executive next year.
Christian Härtnagel will be replaced by Ryan McDonnell, currently the Lidl GB deputy chief executive, on February 1.
He will be handed the reins of Lidl’s largest business in March, taking over from Matthias Oppitz.
Härtnagel has worked at the discounter for 18 years, having previously been Lidl Austria’s chief operations officer and regional director at Lidl Ireland.
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“It feels special, both personally and professionally, to be given the opportunity to go back to the country where I started my career many years ago,” he said.
“I’ve worked closely with Ryan for some time and have every faith in his ability to lead Lidl in Great Britain, and to build on the team’s fantastic track record in recent years.”
Härtnagel added: “Ryan and I are focused on delivering the best Christmas ever for our customers.”
Earlier this week, the Lidl GB boss admitted that “this Christmas will be much harder work than any Christmas before”.
Stock shortages meant the supermarket had not been in “a good place” 12 weeks ago.
While the situation had improved thanks to the “huge work and huge commitment” of staff, Lidl is still struggling with labour shortages and import issues.
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1 Comment. Leave new
He won’t be missed.
Boss of a company who doesn’t want to have a full online presence, unlike all his wiser competitors.
So much for his ‘commitment’ to his customers to offer the best service, which he doesn’t.