Dive Brief:
- Lidl US has rolled out its first private label line of fresh meat, the discount grocery chain announced Monday.
- The new line, called Butcher’s Specialty, includes USDA Choice, organic and grass-fed beef options; antibiotic-free chicken; and all-natural pork, lamb and veal.
- Lidl US also plans to debut a private label line of processed meats such as hot dogs and bacon under a different name later in the year as it continues to move ahead with a project to overhaul its meat offerings, Vice President of Fresh Buying Tod Seiling said in an interview.
Dive Insight:
Lidl has been working on refining how it merchandises meat since shortly after Seiling joined the company with several other executives in early 2024. The German company has been offering some meat products under the new brand since last fall, and several months ago set a goal of fully rolling out the new line by Memorial Day, according to Seiling.
“One of the largest projects when I came aboard was to recreate the fresh meat program. And from the beginning, we wanted to [establish] an emotional connection through our own brand,” he said.
Lidl worked with an outside agency to test possible names for the brand with panels of shoppers before settling on Butcher’s Specialty, Seiling said.
The discount grocer added several new items to its fresh meat assortment and removed others that were underperforming as it developed the Butcher’s Specialty line, Seiling said. The chain’s stores now offer about 20 more meat items than before, although the precise number will vary depending on the time of year, he said.
Lidl US’ stores do not have in-house butchers and instead sell fresh meat in case-ready packages.
About 60% of the meat SKUs in Lidl’s stateside stores now sport the Butcher’s Specialty name, with the core assortment of fresh beef, ground meats, fresh chicken, fresh pork, lamb and veal the company sells falling under the brand, Seiling said. While Lidl will still carry national and regional brands in its meat cases, it will continue to adhere to its strategy of offering a smaller selection of items than conventional supermarkets, he said.
Lidl is also offering recipes online to encourage shoppers to buy meat in its stores. In developing the assortment, the company considered “the aspiration, the inspiration, the confidence that the consumer can have in coming to a Lidl store, finding what they want, and then taking the product home and being able to prepare it with confidence,” Seiling said.
Lidl’s official introduction this week of the Butcher’s Specialty line follows its decision last year to relaunch its brand in the U.S.
Lidl US runs more than 180 stores spread across nine East Coast states. The chain, which opened its first U.S. store in 2017, plans to debut its latest location on May 23 in Brooklyn, New York.
