“They provide a good work-life balance.” Simon, Deputy Store Manager

Simon’s whole career to date has been spent in retail. And, since joining Lidl he’s seen it progress at an impressive rate of knots.

What were you doing before you joined Lidl and how did you hear about this job?

I've worked in retail since I was 16. I've worked for retailers, clothing stores, and a lot of other places. I found the Lidl opportunity online and went for it because my first job was also with a fast-paced discount business, and Lidl is all about doing things efficiently and productively, so I was attracted to the role straight away.

What does your current job entail?

I was promoted to my current role, but even before this I was being trained in Deputy Store Manager responsibilities - for example, processing orders for the store and running shifts. I'll also be creating rotas and managing back-office duties as well. You have to know people's individual strengths, get to know their work styles and understand how to best manage the team as a whole to work efficiently together.

What’s a typical day like for you?

I firstly look at the rota to see when people are starting, when they’re leaving and who's on my shift. I then schedule breaks based on that. Then we’ll work with the team to reset the store (tidy it up). If it's a morning shift, we'll be cleaning up before we open and making sure everything looks good. If we're on an evening shift, we do the same in the middle of the day. After that we do our due diligence checks - checking fresh goods such as fruit and veg. Whatever we can’t sell but is still in good condition, we collect for charity in the evening. We also process deliveries and restock, and in between that I’ll be making new stock orders.

What’s your biggest achievement in the time you've been there?

I would have to say my rate of progression is my biggest achievement. People from other areas of the business have noticed this too. A colleague visited our store recently who looks after our inventory for quite a large region. He remembered meeting me when I started as a Customer Assistant, and mentioned to my Area Manager how impressive my progression had been. The Store Managers I've worked with have always been really supportive - they’d pump me up and prepare me for interviews. They have put a lot of faith in me and invested a lot of time.

What do you think makes Lidl different?

I’ve left previous jobs because every day was very similar. They would put you down one aisle, or a few aisles, or you'd be on the tills all day. If you were in the bakery, you'd be in the bakery all day. At Lidl, you need to know everything about your store. I think it's the range of jobs, the range of duties that we've got to do from day-to-day that makes me stay. It keeps me busy - and I enjoy that.

What about your work-life balance?

Yes, it’s good. If somebody drops out of a shift, it helps if you're able to jump in to support - but of course they give you enough notice. They tend to see what shifts you roughly prefer to be on and they try and work around your preferences. Between shifts, I do feel like I get the right amount of rest, plus a couple of days off a week. And, when it comes to holidays, you only need to book it three weeks in advance which is great.

And the training and development?

We have a back-office computer in store that can basically teach you everything about your role. They teach in modules that include short assessments, and you can then take what you've learnt onto the shop floor to use your skills in reality. It's really efficient, and they've even got a section for training managers. Once you get to manager level, you visit your Regional Distribution Centre and carry out different training courses in person.

Finally, what words would you use to describe Lidl?

Fast-paced, team-based.