Lidl Lietuva has maintained its leading position by providing the highest average salary of any retail chain

Lidl continues to be the leader in terms of the average salaries among the largest retail chains in the country. According to the latest data from Rekvizitai.lt, in September the average salary of the employees at Lidl Lietuva amounted to more than €1.5 thousand, making it almost one-fifth higher than the second-largest retail chain.

Sandra Savickienė, Head of Human Resources at Lidl Lietuva, said that the retail chain had a clear goal of ensuring that its employees would receive a fair salary from the very beginning of its operations in Lithuania. 

“We always strive to ensure the full well-being of our team members. In addition to investing in better working conditions, we want all the people working at Lidl Lietuva to feel valued. Adequate remuneration for the work is one of the best ways of achieving this. According to recent data, the average salary in our organisation is €1,568.07, which is almost a fifth higher than the retail chain that ranked in second place. We are happy to offer the most competitive salary in the market,” said Ms Savickienė.

Remuneration a factor that still determines the choice of workplace

According to the Head of Human Resources at Lidl Lietuva, employees cite remuneration one of the factors that determines their choice of employer.

“We are constantly surveying the candidates who want to work in our retail network. By evaluating the results obtained, we can monitor the prevailing trends. These have not changed for some time. Remuneration remains one of the main factors for employee motivation, alongside the company’s reputation, the workplace environment, new challenges and career opportunities,” Ms Savickienė said.

The specialist indicated that the company evaluate the competitiveness of its wages each year, according to a Korn Ferry study: “Paying particular attention to the issue of employee compensation allows us to anticipate the actions we need to take to stay among the companies offering the highest wages in the market. Currently, a loyal Lidl employee ranks among the 25% best-earning employees in the market, in terms of the salary for a particular position and our package of additional benefits.”

Special wage system

Ms Savickienė went on to explain that Lidl’s remuneration system is exceptional, and the company pays great attention to offering strong financial motivation to its employees.

“Once employed, our store and warehouse staff are provided with contracts for four stages, i.e. their pre-determined salary will increase at each level for the next four years. This means that our employees can be certain their remuneration will grow every year,” Ms Savickienė said.

She added that all the employees receive special incentives for working in Lidl stores and warehouses: “The team members working in our stores or warehouses have the opportunity to receive an additional €65 bonus for each month they work for the company. For example, during the summer we paid incentives amounting to almost €300,000.”

Career changes for almost 200 employees

According to the Head of Human Resources at Lidl Lietuva, achieving a higher salary is connected not only to employee loyalty, but also to professional growth: “At our organisation, we have a Talent Management process, which allows us to evaluate the employee’s skills and potential. A person who achieves good work results will rise on the career ladder, and at the same time, his salary will increase. Almost 10% of all Lidl employees have already received a promotion this year.”

She added that, given the standard of living and the labour market situation in the country, the retail chain increased the salaries of all Lidl store workers by up to 10% this spring, regardless of whether the employee was a cashier, assistant, deputy store manager or a manager.

At present, Lidl operates 50 stores in 20 Lithuanian cities: Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Alytus, Marijampolė, Kėdainiai, Telšiai, Kretinga, Mažeikiai, Tauragė, Jonava, Panevėžys, Ukmergė, Utena, Plungė, Palanga, Elektrėnai, Visaginas and Šilutė. The company currently has over 2,000 employees.