Lidl has appointed Roman Heini, the former joint managing director of Aldi Süd's UK operation, as the new chairman of its US division, effective 1 March.
Heini joined Lidl last October, and is set to relocate to the group's US headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, to collaborate with the management team led by chief executive Johannes Fieber.
In a statement, Lidl said that the appointment of Heini as chairman 'reflects the company’s commitment to the American market and strengthens Lidl’s ability to support dynamic business development in the future'.
Heini replaces Lidl international board member Michael Aranda in the role of chairman of the US operation, with Aranda set to assume new responsibilities with the discounter in Europe.
“Roman’s decision to relocate to our Arlington headquarters with this appointment underscores Lidl’s commitment to the US and is a major step forward in positioning us for dynamic growth,” said Johannes Fieber, Lidl US chief executive. “I look forward to welcoming Roman to the US and driving Lidl’s success together.”
Aldi Career
In total, Heini spent 18 years in various positions at Aldi Süd, and ran the UK business alongside Matthew Barnes from 2010 to 2014.
He also previously held the position of chairman of the Aldi Süd's advisory board in Germany.
Commenting on his new role, he said that he was looking forward to "working closely with the team as we continue to tackle the priority projects of our US business".
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
