Lidl Ireland and Norther Ireland chief executive officer JP Scally is leaving the operation on this island to take over the leadership of Lidl France from August 1. He has been in his current job since 2015.

He will be succeed by Robert Ryan, a 20-year veteran of Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Ryan is currently chief customer officer at Lidl, having previously held roles in sales, management and operations. He will take up the position on October 1.

Scally, who previously spent three years as operations director for Lidl in France, will be responsible for more than 1,600 stores and 46,000 employees in his new CEO role, a considerable increase from the 7,000 employees the retailer has in Ireland.

Passing the reins

He said: “I feel very lucky to have led the business in my home country for so long and I am delighted to pass over the reins to incoming CEO Robert Ryan.”

According to most recent data from Kantar, Lidl has a 13.9% share of the grocery market in the Republic of Ireland, the highest level since Scally was appointed as CEO.