Lidl US CEO Exits Amid Battle With Aldi For Buyers, Name Recognition
Lidl’s U.S. CEO has departed, the fifth chief executive to do so in the decade since the German grocery chain established its foothold in the country.
Former Lidl US CEO Joel Rampoldt was replaced on an interim basis by Marco Giudici, the chief customer officer in the country and the former CEO of Lidl Romania. Rampoldt lasted less than three years in the top spot as Lidl struggles to gain brand recognition in the U.S.
A spokesperson for Lidl US confirmed the staffing shake-up, which was first reported by Grocery Dive, and said that Rampoldt would continue to serve as an adviser for the firm.
"Lidl remains firmly committed to its long-term US growth strategy, enhancing the customer experience, and delivering on our promise of exceptional value and quality," the spokesperson wrote.
Lidl didn't offer a reason for the change in management, and it isn't clear if Rampoldt or the company initiated the exit.
The European grocery giant set up its U.S. headquarters in 2015 and opened the doors to its first American stores in 2017. It has expanded to nearly 200 stores across the country but has struggled to find the same success winning consumers over as its main German rival, Aldi, which is aggressively expanding its U.S. footprint.
A top Lidl executive at the firm lamented at an industry conference in 2024 that most U.S. customers didn’t even know the brand was a grocery store, Grocery Dive reported.
Rampoldt arrived at Lidl from financial advisory firm AlixPartners, where he was a Miami-based retail and wholesaler consultant. During his tenure at Lidl US, he oversaw a marketing campaign aimed at raising brand awareness, bulked up the executive suites with key hires, including the first chief commercial officer, and launched Lidl’s first private-label meat brand.
The company has shuffled through U.S. leaders since landing stateside. Rampoldt was the fifth person to lead Aldi US since its launch, coming in behind Michal Lagunionek, who took the position in 2021. The CEO before Lagunionek started in 2018.
Lidl, part of German retail conglomerate Schwarz Group, has more than 12,000 stores in 31 countries. Its U.S. presence is primarily along the East Coast, including new stores in New York, Atlanta and the Washington, D.C., metro that have been announced since September.
The company has faced at least two rounds of layoffs in 2023 and 2024 that cut roughly 400 staff.
As Lidl has struggled to find its U.S. footing, Aldi plowed forward and targeted 225 store openings in 2025.
Seven months after buying around 400 Winn Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets from Southwestern Grocers in 2023, Aldi executives said they had a $9B expansion plan that would end with nearly 800 new stores by the end of 2028.
