Lidl chief trading officer Martin Kottbauer has stepped down from the supermarket after 28 years, as his role is merged into that of chief commercial officer Richard Bourns’ responsibilities.
During his time at the discounter, Kottbauer held various senior positions, including as chief commercial officer in 2021, before becoming chief trading officer in 2022, The Grocer reported.
The merging of his role into Bourns’ responsibilities comes under Lidl’s GB board restructure, which began earlier in the year.
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A spokeswoman for the grocer said: “Over the past 28 years Martin has played a pivotal role in Lidl GB’s growth and success, with his wealth of experience and knowledge from working both here and in pan-European roles proving instrumental.”
The moves comes as Lidl sought to simplify its three chief operating officer roles into two earlier this year.
In June, Asda poached Lidl chief operating officer Matt Heslop, as it inked a new AI deal to help with decision-making across the business, having previously spent over 20 years in various senior operational roles at the discount grocer.
In his new role at Asda, Heslop will lead the retailer’s stores and depots operation, including the 470 convenience stores in its newly-established Asda Express division.
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