Retailer Lidl has appointed Robert Ryan as chief executive of its Irish business, replacing JP Scally who has been chosen by the German discounter to run its business in France.
Mr Ryan, who is chief customer officer and a board member, will officially start the role on October 1st. He joined the company in 2003 and has worked across a variety of roles in the business including as sales operations manager and regional managing director. He was appointed to the board of directors in 2018.
Meanwhile, Mr Scally will take up his role at Lidl France from August 1st, where he previously held the position of operations director for three years.
Commenting on his move, Mr Scally said he was proud of “more than doubling our market share in both Ireland and Northern Ireland and bringing our value offering to dozens of new communities”.
Lidl France comprises more than 1,600 stores and 46,000 employees.
Lidl Ireland has more than 180 stores across the State and employs about 6,000 people. The grocery discounter has 41 stores in Northern Ireland.
Some €1.1 billion worth of goods came from Irish suppliers with €500 million worth of services provided by local businesses in 2023, Lidl Ireland said in a report released in February 2024.
Some £360 million (€428 million) was put into the local economy in 2023 by Lidl Northern Ireland, doubling its annual contribution over five years, a commissioned report by Oxford Economics and Lidl Northern Ireland said in May 2024.
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