Lidl Belgium hires Thomas Vaarten as Chief Customer Officer

Lidl Belgium & Luxembourg announces the appointment of Thomas Vaarten as its new Chief Customer Officer (CCO). He has more than fifteen years of retail experience, including stints at A.S. Adventure and Beliving, the parent company of Exterioo and Juntoo.

“Being the customer’s first choice”

Vaarten, who has been getting up to speed behind the scenes over the past few months, will oversee four strategic pillars within the discount retailer in his new executive role: Marketing, Brand Embassy, Customer Sales, and Customer Relations. In short, the entire customer journey—from marketing strategy and campaigns (via flyers, TV, radio, and digital) and the revamped store concept (including self-scanners and strategic product placement) to customer service and the Lidl Plus app.

“Without the customer, we have no reason to exist,” he says. “It is the customer who chooses Lidl day after day. Our ambition is clear: we want to be their absolute first choice. We’ll pursue that goal with a continued focus on our simplicity and discount mindset, enhanced by smart choices to retain the customers of today and tomorrow. And we’ll do that, as always, with an internal ‘tous ensemble’ approach.”

Before joining Lidl, Vaarten spent eight years at A.S.Adventure Group (including as Sales & Omnichannel Director), followed by six years as CCO at Exterioo and Juntoo. He literally grew up on the sales floor, in his parents’ store.