Lidl becomes majority owner of Lidl-Trek
German supermarket chain Lidl has acquired a majority stake in Lidl-Trek. Negotiations that began this summer culminated with the signing of contracts on Friday, two years after Lidl came on board as a co-sponsor in 2023, which facilitated a significant budget increase that helped both men's and women's WorldTour squads progress to super-team status.
"The signing of this contract marks a monumental moment for Lidl-Trek," said Thomas Rohregger, Head of Brand Partnerships and Head of Cycling at Lidl, in the team's release. "We approached this project with immense respect for the legacy that Lidl-Trek has built, and we are now formally and jointly committing to the next chapter. The partnership is based on the strategic goal of transferring Lidl’s organizational excellence to Lidl-Trek and combining the expertise of both co-owners to achieve our ambitious goals. The combined resources and expertise are intended to accelerate the team’s performance development in the coming seasons."
US bike and equipment brand Trek still retains a significant stake in the organisation of which they took ownership in 2014 – formerly the Luxembourg-registered RadioShack-Leopard which had raced on Trek bikes since their inception as Leopard Trek in 2011.
