When will Lidl LoF stores break a ￡100K Open Day ??

I actually don't know what the Opening Day numbers are at Lidl's new LoF ( Lidl of the Future ) stores but based on my retail experience and what I have seen I would guess that they are not there yet.

I visited the first LoF store ( Rushden, Northants ) during opening week and the Kitts Green LoF store last week ( blog here ). 

The concept is superb and a million miles ahead of the " old Lidl ". Lidl staff and customers should visit a LoF store as soon as possible just to get an idea of what the future looks like in the UK.

In this blog I am not going to talk about the inevitable logistical implications of a ￡100K Open Day. It would only be achieved with advanced pre-ordering skills and knowledge and the full co-operation of the distribution centre and transport - there are going to be a lot of lorries going in and out of the store. The car parking will be stretched well beyond it's limits so additional temporary parking space will be required and the full co-operation of the police in the area.

Nor am I going to talk about the staffing levels - which will be in line with the sales numbers anyway. Although of course the right amount of staff will be vital. I will talk about quality and mindset of staff though.

Nor am I going to talk about store layout and merchandising. Although these will have to be considered. Sales per customer will be a key factor in achieving a ￡100K day. 

In writing this I have the Kitts Green, Birmingham opening in mind. Apart from the fact that the whole store looked beautiful ( I love the branding ) and the merchandising was top notch one thing I noticed was the " atmosphere " in the store. There was a strong sense of fun and community in something that had clearly been organised with great detail. n.b. the burger tent in the car park. 

I didn't get there for the actual ribbon cutting and Millie didn't either but when I drove up I saw the Town Crier walking along the road. 

Photo Credit:  https://www.britishtowncrier.co.uk/

Hmmmm.... Kitts Green had a Town Crier ???? Interesting I thought and also interesting that Lidl had reached out to the local community.

Photo credit: https://www.britishtowncrier.co.uk/

Also interesting that there are social media signs in these pictures.

It seemed as though the Kitts Green community had taken this store to their hearts ??????

Mindset

To break a ￡100K day you are going to have to aim for ￡110K.

Everyone from senior management down must have the Mindset that it can be achieved. I don't know what senior management in Lidl believe the maximum LoF store sales per day to be - they may believe ￡100K is possible. What I do know is that to beat the 4 minute mile you had to believe it could be beaten. It was beaten but the 4 minute mile mental barrier lasted for a number of years.

Quality of staff

It would be imperative to have highly trained, high quality staff. They must have the right mindset.


Community

Quite clearly considerable effort was made to engage with the local community who seemed to respond very well. 

One area that seems to me to be under utilised is the connection with Grassroots Football. I would have Pro. Footballers and amateur teams attending during the opening days.

I think there needs to be a longer and deeper relationship created with key local community members. The Opening Day needs pre-announcing on a wider basis. It is at least a 6 month before opening task and continues during and after the opening into the future.


Social Media and PR

We see the indications that Lidl has social media ( twitter, facebook, instagram and youtube ) above but these appear to be corporate accounts whereas what is really required is local community accounts. These need to be opened at least 6 months before the Open Day and they need to actually tell the story of the opening and the connections with the local community.

Local store issues arising should be handled locally by social media people who are actually in communication with local management.

Food and Lifestyle bloggers should be invited to the opening.

The Open Day itself should have it's reach extended beyond the confines of the building and people attending to the world. There are many ways of doing this today and we typically extend the message and atmosphere of events to millions of people globally.

Far more use needs to be made of PR ( both traditional and digital PR ). 

Deli


I know many people who have experienced Lidl in e.g. Spain, Italy and Germany and they are passionate about the stores. They talk about the freshness and quality of the meat and fruit and vegetables. They also talk about the " Deli's " that exist in some stores. Whilst the new Bakery's are fabulous in the LoF stores I believe that a Deli ( Costa Coffee plus ) would be a game changer. It would feed into the community spirit.