Lidl |

Since opening our first UK store back in 1994, our team has grown to over 31,000 colleagues. Together, they source, pack, distribute and sell our range of over 2,000 products from a network of 960 stores and 13 Regional Distribution Centres.

The first step towards an exciting, fulfilling career

It takes a big character to not only make it onto our programmes, but really soar as a grad - and future leader - at Lidl GB. Our grads are committed, hardworking and ambitious, and the proof is in the pudding. You’ll find former grads at every level of the business, in every business area, each having made their own unique impact on Lidl GB.

Our grad programmes give you the chance to learn from the best and really make an impact in one of the world’s largest global retailers. Whether you’re working in one of our regional distribution centres or our London-based head office, you’ll experience life at Lidl and all it has to offer. You’ll gain real responsibility from your very first day and given plenty of exciting opportunities to refine and expand your skillset, developing you into one of Lidl’s future leaders.

What you’ll be doing

On our Retail Graduate Management Programme (hiring across the UK from Jan 2024), your first year will be all about developing your expertise and management skills as you rotate through our core business areas; sales, logistics and supply chain. You’ll get to know the ins and outs of these areas as you develop your operational and leadership skills.

Following your first year you’ll have a good idea of the business area you want to specialise in based on your passions and skill set. You’ll embark on a specialist route in year two, honing your skills in your chosen area and completing your journey as a member of the leadership team. This programme isn’t for the faint-hearted. It’s fast-paced with tangible results and bags of responsibility, putting you at the heart of our business. We’ll push you, but also support you, every step of the way.

We also offer programmes in our head office, based in Southwest London, where you can learn first-hand what it’s like to work in a global business. Whether you’re buying award-winning products for our stores, managing the processes that get them onto our shelves, or refining your leadership skills in one of our office-based teams, you’ll be given the chance to really make your mark on the business.

• First, you’ll apply online and upload your CV. This is your first chance to showcase your studies so far, any- extracurricular activities you’ve done, like sports or volunteering, and anything that tells us more about you.
• After your online application, you’re instantly invited to complete our online assessment. This includes questions to assess your competencies and your approach.
• If you pass the online assessment, you’ll be invited to record a video application. We’ll send you some questions based on you and your experiences and prompts for what to include in the video interview. We’re looking at your motivation for Lidl, why this programme is, and why you think you would be a good fit.
• Next up is an assessment centre. This is a half-day event involving a task prepared on the day and a competency-based interview, exploring situations where you have experienced team building, conflict management, targets and deadlines. This is a chance for you to show off your people skills and initiative, as well as find out more about the business.

We're famous for being ‘Big on Quality, Lidl On Price’. Offering the highest quality products at the lowest possible prices has definitely helped us become the success we are today, but that’s only part of the story because it's our people that bring Lidl to life. Our business is built on their dedication, and our success is their success.

We're a diverse network of people from all walks of life. Thousands of different stories and personalities and every one of us has a part to play in shaping our culture and our future. Our individuality makes every team unique, but we all share the same values across the business.

Join us, and you become part of a strong and growing business - part of one united team of talented, hardworking people, whose energy and commitment make us what we are.
That energy and commitment reach beyond the business too – we support environmental action, fair trade, sustainable sourcing and animal welfare. And we make a big difference to some important charities too.

Our vision statement sets out our objectives in relation to becoming a more inclusive organisation:

'Diversity strengths Lidl GB. We are committed to building an inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve, where all colleagues can be themselves.'

We spend time listening and learning from our colleagues, gaining valuable feedback on Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) at Lidl GB. Based on our colleagues' lived experiences, we continue to evolve our strategy with key initiatives. This strategy guides how we continue to progress towards becoming a more inclusive organisation.

Listening - All colleagues are invited to participate in an annual Diversity and Inclusion Survey. We want to learn more about our colleagues whilst better understanding how we can work towards increased diversity and inclusion. We also hold colleague focus groups to learn from their lived experiences.

Upskilling colleagues - All colleagues receive inclusion awareness training in different formats. All colleagues at the manager level and above have taken part in a 4-hour workshop on inclusion awareness. This ensures that they have the tools and understanding to foster an inclusive culture in their own teams. All other colleagues in the business also take part in an eLearning on inclusion to gain an understanding of tools and language to use that will help make Lidl GB a more inclusive place to work.

Sharing colleague stories - At Lidl GB it's our colleagues that make us great and so successful. That's why we try to tell our colleagues' own unique stories whenever we can. We've covered topics from mental health to menopause, and disability and heard stories from our colleagues who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. This helps us to break down stigma and allows our colleagues to feel comfortable in bringing their authentic selves to work.

Providing resources for colleagues - As part of our commitment to ensure that we are transparent about our D&I journey with colleagues and keeping them up to speed with our progress as a business, a Diversity and Inclusion Resource Hub is also available for colleagues. This gives colleagues access to D&I information, including resources & videos, colleague stories, D&I-related reports and a calendar with upcoming inclusion awareness days.

Public commitment to D&I - We signed the BRC charter to commit to becoming more inclusive publicly: The BRC Better Jobs Charter was signed by our CEO and saw us commit publicly to a number of diversity and inclusion pledges including:

• Appointing a Diversity and Inclusion Executive
• Improving recruitment practices to remove bias
• Collecting and contributing data on diversity
• Creating a respectful and inclusive work environment
• Ensuring all line managers are responsible for supporting equity in the workplace

Public commitment to the UN women’s empowerment principles - Lidl GB and all other Lidl countries have signed the United Nations Women's Empowerment Principles. These are a set of principles that promote gender equality and women's empowerment in the workplace and community. They include promoting training and professional development for women and measuring and publicly reporting on progress to achieve gender equality.

Our programmes really challenge you, and you are well rewarded for your hard work. On top of your competitive salary of 38k – you’ll also receive plenty of great benefits, including:

• 10% in-store discount
• Generous holiday allowance
• Wellbeing support service
• Corporate benefits (vouchers & discounts)
• Discounted gym memberships

So, if you’re looking for a role where you’ll be encouraged to step outside of your comfort zone and really excel, then we’ve got the grad programme for you.