Whistleblowing
Integrity and transparency are fundamental to ensure the continued confidence of customers, business partners and employees in Lidl. We would therefore like you to tell us of any breaches in compliance that affect our business though our confidential whistleblowing channels which are listed below.
These confidential whistleblowing channels offer employees, suppliers and the public at large ways to report concerns of potential violations of law or Lidl policies, to ensure that any possible misconduct is reported in a timely manner, thoroughly investigated and a sustainable solution is devised.
What should be reported
Examples of what should be reported where Lidl, its employees, or its business partners may be involved include:
(a) where a criminal offence is being committed;
(b) where a person is failing to comply with a legal obligation;
(c) where the environment is being damaged;
(d) where a person’s health and safety is being endangered;
(e) where offers or payments of bribes, kickbacks or gifts are made to win or retain business or to influence business decisions.
Confidential Whistleblowing Channels
All communication received through the confidential whistleblowing channels is treated in the strictest of confidence in accordance with all relevant legislation including data protection principles and guidance and in particular the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 in Ireland and the Public Disclosure (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 in Northern Ireland.
We offer the following three ways you can report breaches in compliance:
Writing to the Compliance Officer:
In the event you have concerns or questions in relation to breaches in compliance affecting Lidl, please contact our compliance officer directly by post or email at the following contact details:
Compliance Department
Lidl Ireland GmbH
Main Road
Tallaght Village
Dublin 24
compliance@lidl.ie
Calling the Compliance Hotline
The compliance hotline number is +353 (0)1 4212083.
This is manned Monday – Friday during office hours, where breaches in compliance can be reported and discussed in the strictest of confidence with a member of the Legal & Compliance team.
Using the Online Reporting System (BKMS):
The BKMS reporting tool is available around the clock in almost all languages worldwide and is operated by a provider independent of Lidl, enabling customers, employees, and business partners to pass on anonymous, and secure information, which is immediately forwarded to the compliance officer, but does not allow Lidl to trace the information against the individual’s wishes. All information received is recorded and then examined to determine whether there are grounds for suspicion that necessitate further action or an investigation.
This online reporting tool can be accessed on any device through the following link:
https://www.bkms-system.net/bkwebanon/report/clientInfo?cin=12ldl12&c=ie&language=eng
Where the user can select English to use the reporting system.
Employees who report compliance violations through any of the abovementioned channels are assured that there will be no sanctions and they will not be disadvantaged in any way as a result of a reporting a breach in compliance made in good faith.
