With over 960 stores and 23,000 employees in the UK alone, Lidl is a great place to gain valuable work experience and earn your next paycheck. Your Lidl cover letter is the perfect place to showcase your positive attitude and willingness to learn – essential skills for getting started!
While Lidl employs people in a variety of fields like logistics, marketing, and finance, the majority of its employees work on the store floor, helping customers find the products they need and handling register transactions. In this Lidl cover letter example and writing guide, we’ll focus on creating a great cover letter for an hourly associate. Here’s what we’ll look at:
- How to choose the best cover letter format and include the essential sections
- How to maximise the effect of each cover letter section (header, greeting, intro, body and conclusion)
- Writing a Lidl cover letter when you have no experience
- Mistakes to avoid when writing your Lidl cover letter.
Best format for a Lidl cover letter
While the freeform nature of a cover letter might feel daunting, by following this structure you can make sure to include the information a Lidl hiring manager is looking for. Here is what your cover letter should contain:
- The cover letter header
- The greeting / salutation
- The cover letter intro
- The middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
- The ending paragraph of your cover letter (conclusion and call-to-action)
A cover letter for a Lidl job should be straightforward and concise. Make sure to focus on any previous retail experience along with the qualities that will allow you to learn and quickly adapt to the position. There’s no need for a long cover letter, especially if this is one of your first jobs. For most applicants, 300 words should be sufficient.
Below you’ll find an adaptable Lidl cover letter to serve as a guide when writing your own.
Dear Mrs Meniru,
I am applying for the role of shop floor assistant at your branch in Croydon. I am experienced at working in customer service in a supermarket setting and think I would be a great fit for the role.
After passing all of my GCSEs with strong pass grades ranging from 4-9, I began working as a cashier at my local corner shop. While the shop operates as a small supermarket and newsagents, I was the first employee to suggest displaying and upselling items at the till. Upon implementing my idea, weekday sales increased by 15%.
After proving my strong work ethic as a cashier, my responsibilities in the shop were extended to include stock checks, placing orders for stock, and maintaining excellent level of cleanliness on the shop floor. My manager continued to increase my responsibilities as I steadily excelled in the tasks I was assigned over my two years of employment. He is happy to provide a positive reference.
I am health and safety trained. I played a key role in checking the stock room complied with the Health and Safety at Work Act following a renovation last year. As I enter my second year of online university studies in business management, I have even completed modules about health and safety risks of different types in retail spaces. I would be delighted to bring my expanding set of skills to a new work environment like LIDL.
I have flexible availability around my remote studies, and strongly believe I would be a great addition to the team. I hope to be able to tell you more about my profile in an interview.
Sincerely,
Kendra Ngesi
Cover letter header
The cover letter header is the section at the top of the page that captures your name and contact information so hiring managers can easily get in touch if they’d like to set up an interview. For a Lidl position, a professional email address (some combination of first and last name at a major provider) should be sufficient. However, you may also include a location if you wish. Our adaptable cover letter sample gives a good idea of how to craft a great header.
Cover letter greeting
The greeting is the smallest section of the cover letter but it sets the tone for the rest of the document. That’s because this is where you’ll address the hiring manager, ideally using their proper salutation followed by their last name. Since Lidl is a large employer, it is unlikely you’ll be able to find the name of the exact hiring manager who will read your letter. In that case, “Dear Lidl Hiring Team” or “Dear Lidl [Store Name] Hiring Manager” can work as a friendly and professional greeting.
Goal of the cover letter greeting: Set a polite, professional tone while connecting directly with the appropriate Lidl hiring manager.
Cover letter introduction
The cover letter introduction is the pivotal first paragraph that introduces yourself and encourages the hiring manager to keep reading the rest of your application. There are several ways to craft a great introduction. Consider leading off with a short anecdote about your positive impact in another retail position, a statement about your interest and relevant skills for the position, or a connection to the company such as mentioning a current employee who recommended you apply.
Since Lidl is a large employer, it’s important to mention the name of the position and the location you are applying to within the cover letter introduction. You may also include the job description reference number to make sure there is no confusion about the job you’re after.
Goal of the cover letter introduction: Intrigue the reader enough to learn more about your interest in the job and hiring attributes.
See our adaptable Lidl cover letter greeting and introduction below.
Dear Mrs Meniru,
I am applying for the role of shop floor assistant at your branch in Croydon. I am experienced at working in customer service in a supermarket setting and think I would be a great fit for the role.
Cover letter middle part (body)
The middle paragraphs of cover letters is where you’ll have the most room to expand on the details of your experience and your top qualifications. One way to organise the body is to follow the STAR method. Start by describing a situation and the task required of you, then explain your action and the positive result achieved.
Make sure to focus only on one or two short examples that are relevant for a job with Lidl. These paragraphs are also a great place to share any awards, accomplishments, or success metrics from previous positions.
Goal of the cover letter body: Elaborate on how Lidl would benefit from your contributions as an outstanding employee
See our adaptable Lidl cover letter sample below for insight into how to write the middle part.
After passing all of my GCSEs with strong pass grades ranging from 4-9, I began working as a cashier at my local corner shop. While the shop operates as a small supermarket and newsagents, I was the first employee to suggest displaying and upselling items at the till. Upon implementing my idea, weekday sales increased by 15%.
After proving my strong work ethic as a cashier, my responsibilities in the shop were extended to include stock checks, placing orders for stock, and maintaining excellent level of cleanliness on the shop floor. My manager continued to increase my responsibilities as I steadily excelled in the tasks I was assigned over my two years of employment. He is happy to provide a positive reference.
I am health and safety trained. I played a key role in checking the stock room complied with the Health and Safety at Work Act following a renovation last year. As I enter my second year of online university studies in business management, I have even completed modules about health and safety risks of different types in retail spaces. I would be delighted to bring my expanding set of skills to a new work environment like LIDL.
How to close a Lidl cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)
Now that you’ve written a friendly and effective cover letter, it’s important to end in a way that leaves the hiring manager wanting to bring you in for an interview. One of the best ways to do this is by creating a call to action. This sentence expresses your enthusiasm and invites the reader to get in touch.
Make sure to keep your tone positive without coming across as entitled to the position. Then, sign off with a professional closing like “Sincerely” or “Best regards” followed by your full name.
Goal of the cover letter closing: End on a confident, enthusiastic note with a call to action that encourages the hiring manager to follow up.
Check out our adaptable Lidl cover letter sample for more insight.
I have flexible availability around my remote studies, and strongly believe I would be a great addition to the team. I hope to be able to tell you more about my profile in an interview.
Sincerely,
Kendra Ngesi
How to write a Lidl cover letter with no experience
One of the great things about working at Lidl is that you won’t need loads of work experience or a fancy degree to get your foot in the door and start earning a regular paycheck. Many Lidl hiring managers know that their stores are a favourite first or part time job for those with no experience, so they will be happy to teach you the skills you need to know.
However, the cover letter is an important application document because it’s the best place to share why you’re the right person to learn the ropes at Lidl and keep the store running smoothly. Traits like punctuality, a good sense of organisation, a positive attitude and strong work ethic are all you need to get started and should be conveyed in your Lidl cover letter.
You can also mention skills demonstrated in other types of jobs to show why you’d make a great Lidl employee. Transferable skills like customer service, cleaning, or register transactions show a hiring manager that you’d quickly adapt to the Lidl role.
Avoiding basic mistakes in a Lidl cover letter
You can further set yourself apart from other entry level candidates by avoiding the following errors:
- Generic cover letters: Hiring managers know when you’ve submitted the same, basic cover letter to a variety of jobs, so make sure to customise each cover letter to the exact job description you’re applying to.
- Poor formatting: The look of the cover letter sends a message about your professionalism so it’s important to get it right. For help designing a high-quality header, try using one of Resume.io's expert-designed cover letter templates.
- Spelling and grammar mistakes: Hiring managers are quick to notice typos and other errors, so it’s important to use spell-check and ask a friend to proofread before you submit.
Key takeaways
- Lidl is a large employer with many open positions, so a thoughtful cover letter that conveys your interest and the right personality traits is all you need to get started.
- The introduction is one of the most important sentences in your cover letter so make sure to capture the reader’s attention to encourage them to look at the rest of your application.
- You can write a Lidl cover letter with no experience by including transferable skills from previous positions.
- Don’t neglect your formatting — check out our adaptable Lidl cover letter sample to easily create an attractive header.
Applying to more than one job? Check out our related cover letter examples:
