The Lidl Trolley Bag by Nik Bentel is an update of a design classic

When artist and designer Nik Bentel is asked to describe Lidl, the first word he uses is 'confident'. 'The logo, the colours, the typography, it’s bold and instantly recognizable,' he says. 'There’s no dilution. It knows exactly what it is.'

And while the low-cost German supermarket chain might be an unlikely pairing for a high-profile design collaboration, Bentel just managed to transform the blue and yellow branding and popular mundane aesthetic into something playful, surreal and rather desirable.

The Lidl Trolley Bag by Nik Bentel

Out on 26 February 2026, the Lidl Trolley Bag does exactly what is promises: Bentel took distinctive elements of a trolley (the blue and yellow handle, the metal caging, even the token, transformed into a discreet bag charm) and turned them into a mix of industrial playfulness and aesthetic nonsense.

Is it useful? Probably not, we can't imagine a slim metal cage with chain handle to be the most functional bag to carry around, but as an imaginative branding exercise, it somehow works.

'The trolley is one of those objects that hasn’t really changed: it’s a perfect industrial object; is it is primarily for utility,' Bentel told Wallpaper* when asked what drove him to the trolley as an object typology. 'The metal grid, the wheels, the child seat. It is instantly recognizable anywhere in the world. I love that it’s purely utilitarian. It wasn’t designed to be beautiful, but it accidentally is. When something is that optimized for function, it becomes timeless.'

The trolley is one of those objects that hasn’t really changed: it’s a perfect industrial object. It wasn’t designed to be beautiful, but it accidentally is

This is Bentel's second collaboration with the supermarket chain. His 2024 Croissant Bag featured a leather croissant purse that fit into a leather replica of the Lidl bakery bag - it sold out within 5 minutes.

'I’m always interested in that line between useful and absurd,' he notes, and this becomes clear when looking at his portfolio, featuring pasta boxes turned bags, a lopsided coffee mug, and a steel musical ball.

Fans of the newly-unveiled utilitarian design wondering how to buy the Lidl Trolley Bag should head to nikbentel.com at 10AM on Thursday 26 February to enter a ballot, or stop by the The Lidl Fresh Drop on 20 and 21 February in London and try their luck on a special 'fruit machine'.

'When a brand has that level of cultural presence and consistency – like Lidl who have been building a legacy year on year - it naturally moves beyond retail and into design and fashion conversations,' concludes Bentel. 'It becomes more than a supermarket; it becomes a symbol people connect with.

'I like taking objects that are invisible in our daily lives and pushing them just far enough that you see them again. Making them bigger, shinier, exaggerated. It’s almost like highlighting something in bold. There’s something unique about that shift, and I think that’s where the energy comes from.'

The Lidl Fresh Drop, 20th and 21st February, 09:30 - 17:00, 19 D’Arblay Street, London W1F 8ED

Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.