The CEO of Lidl Spain asks the Government to promote the Mediterranean Corridor: “We need it”
The CEO of Lidl Spain, Claus Grande has demanded that the Government “promote the Mediterranean Corridor: We need it, not only for the pure efficiency of logistics chains“We need to look at the competitiveness of the future.” Claus has asked “our managers in charge of pressing the button” to promote these infrastructures. “We are late,” he lamented. Some statements he made in the context of the 40th Consumer Congress organized by the Association of Manufacturers and Distributors AECOC. In his speech, Claus highlighted that “Spain is a fundamental piece of the Lidl ecosystem” and added that a large part of the Alénan group’s supply chains pass through this country “or are generated directly here thanks to a powerful agri-food sector and industry that has consolidated itself as a strategic partner for our group.”
The head of Lidl Spain has explained that last year the company bought more than 8,000 million euros in Spanish agri-food products, the export of which has generated a surplus of 2,667 million carrying this relevant part of the ‘made in Spain’ to more than 500 million customers in the United States and Europe, “with a very positive impact on the Spain brand through the Sol & Mar campaigns in all the markets and stores where we are present.”
Claus added that Spain also constitutes “a strategic territory and a logistical node” for the company and that the shipping company that they acquired after the pandemic has found in this country “a gateway for many logistics chains in Spanish ports such as Valencia, where a large part of the Asian product is distributed throughout southern Europe. “At Lidel Spain we are very proud to contribute our grain of sand to the organization of the Spain Brand beyond our borders.
High demands on suppliers
The head of Lidl Spain recognizes that “It is not easy to be a Lidl supplier due to quality standards very high.” However, Claus has stated that if there is an agri-food industry prepared to meet these requirements, it is the Spanish one. “We begin by guaranteeing food safety in the first step, then by complying with the maximum nutritional quality beyond what is established by the regulations and we add sustainability requirementsd. As European benchmarks we have no other option,” the executive added.
“If you manufacture in Asia you are criticized a lot”
For her part, Senior Vice President Corporate Affairs of Lidl International Jennifer Cords, highlighted that the German distribution group works with “more than 1,000 suppliers with factories in geographies such as Türkiye, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore. In this regard, he lamented that “if you manufacture in Asia you are criticized a lot and, for this reason, many companies do not want to come to these types of forums but if you want to grow you need critical media, NGO, ... to third parties who encourage you to improve every day” has explained. The executive has valued the work of the consulting and inspection teams of the German multinational.
