Using the strength of its retail network in Europe, Lidl Serbia exported 10 million euros worth of domestic products, boosting the economy and directly contributing to Serbia’s GDP. At the same time, Lidl significantly increased the share of domestic items in the assortment of its stores in Serbia.
Serbian products in the form of Lidl brands were found on the shelves of Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland and Slovakia.
“Raw materials, such as wheat or sugar, are easy to export, because there is a great demand for them.” However, our goal is to use the strength of our retail network and export the final product, the value of which is higher because it includes the work of several related industries in Serbia. In this way, it contributes to the Serbian GDP”, said Nikola Balaban, executive director of procurement of the company Lidl Serbia.
Balaban adds that Serbian food is increasingly in demand outside the borders of our country, but only on the condition that it is of above average and constant quality, from the first to the last palette.
The export of products, namely flatbreads, Adriatic cheese, frozen croissants, yellow – yellow pastries, chicken and turkey pate and toasted bread, in the value of 10 million euros was achieved thanks to the partnership relations between Lidl and local suppliers. Namely, Lidl’s partners have guaranteed placement of goods and can plan production, which opens up space for investments in terms of capacity and standards, which are important for reaching European quality standards.
“A real example of that is flatbread production.” As always, we want to build long-term partnership relationships, so from our supplier who has plants in Subotica, Niš and Novi Sad, we export flatbread to Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, and soon to Germany, Italy, Spain, worth five million euros”, said Balaban.
Also, Lidl Serbia ensured that nearly 100 Serbian producers received the IFS certificate, which is an important prerequisite for exporting to Europe, both through the network of this retail chain and beyond.
In addition to exporting them, on the shelves of this discount chain in Serbia there is an increasing number of products of domestic origin. Last year, Lidl introduced a new brand of its products called “Homemade with love”. There are about 80 products exclusively from domestic suppliers, and in addition to their Serbian origin, they are characterized by excellent quality. From milk and dairy products, through dried meat products, to homemade cakes – these products are easily recognizable by their design – a traditional Serbian connection, BiF writes.
