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Lidl and Aldi winning the hearts of 'Maidstone mums' Lidl and Aldi winning the hearts of 'Maidstone mums'
(about 3 hours later)
For years the German discounters Aldi and Lidl were dismissed as a quirky sideshow in the UK's £170bn grocery market, but as legions of middle class families head there for their weekly shop they are giving the big four supermarkets a run for their money.For years the German discounters Aldi and Lidl were dismissed as a quirky sideshow in the UK's £170bn grocery market, but as legions of middle class families head there for their weekly shop they are giving the big four supermarkets a run for their money.
Ronny Gottschlich, Lidl's UK boss, said the recession helped it win the hearts of a key group of middle class shoppers its calls the "Maidstone mums", who would have considered shopping in Lidl social suicide during the years of plenty. Ronny Gottschlich, Lidl's UK boss, said the recession had helped it win the hearts of a group of middle class shoppers it calls the "Maidstone mums", who would have considered shopping in Lidl social suicide during the years of plenty. "The recession shone a spotlight on us as a supermarket that offers high quality products at low prices," he said. "This low-pricing strategy that continues to draw new middle class -–the Maidstone mums – customers into our stores for the first time."
"The recession shone a spotlight on us as a supermarket that offers high quality products at low prices," he said. "This low-pricing strategy that continues to draw new middle class -–the Maidstone mums – customers into our stores for the first time." The so-called "hard discounters" were recession darlings, but despite signs of a recovery, the discounters' love affair with British shoppers shows no sign of ending. The pair now account for 75p out of every £10 spent on food and are bigger than the Co-op, the country's fifth largest supermarket. With 70 more shops planned to open their doors this year their influence is likely to grow.
The so-called "hard discounters" were recession darlings, but despite signs of a recovery, the love affair with British shoppers shows no sign of ending. The pair now account for 75p out of every £10 spent on food and are bigger than the Co-op, the country's fifth largest supermarket. With 70 more shops planned to open their doors this year their influence is likely to grow. During the financial crisis consumer trend watchers talked of the "Aldi effect", calling its customers the "Aldi-rati" as £4.99 Canadian lobsters from Lidl and £7.99 bottles of Chateauneuf-du-Pape from Aldi were guzzled at dinner parties around the country. At that time the discounters were viewed as places to pick up a few extras but as hard-up Britons continue to cut back spending on food they are now seen as a destination for a full weekly shop.
During the financial crisis consumer trend-watchers talked of the "Aldi effect", calling its customers the "Aldi -rati" as £4.99 Canadian lobsters from Lidl and £7.99 bottles of Chateauneuf-du-Pape from Aldi were guzzled at dinner parties around the country. At that time the discounters were viewed as places to pick up a few extras but as hard-up Britons continue to cut back spending on food they are now seen as a destination for a full weekly shop.
"Our growth is due to more and more shoppers choosing Aldi for their main weekly shop," said Matthew Barnes and Roman Heini, Aldi's joint group managing directors in a statement. "People want to, rather than need to, shop at Aldi.""Our growth is due to more and more shoppers choosing Aldi for their main weekly shop," said Matthew Barnes and Roman Heini, Aldi's joint group managing directors in a statement. "People want to, rather than need to, shop at Aldi."
Aldi is also going after Sainsbury's well-heeled clientele with recent openings in affluent places such as Knutsford and Bishop's Stortford. "The demographic profile of the Aldi customer has expanded, as positive word of mouth spreads," added the directors, who said a drive to stock more British products had also helped convert shoppers.Aldi is also going after Sainsbury's well-heeled clientele with recent openings in affluent places such as Knutsford and Bishop's Stortford. "The demographic profile of the Aldi customer has expanded, as positive word of mouth spreads," added the directors, who said a drive to stock more British products had also helped convert shoppers.
With Lidl closing in on 600 stores in the UK, Gottshlich says it is here to stay with a long-term plan for a 1,500-strong chain. Aldi, with over 500 outlets, also has ambitious growth plans with 50 openings planned this year including its first on the Isle of Wight, in Cowes. With Lidl closing in on 600 stores in the UK, Gottschlich says it is here to stay with a long-term plan for a 1,500-strong chain. Aldi, with more than 500 outlets, also has ambitious growth plans, with 50 openings planned this year including its first on the Isle of Wight, in Cowes.
The privately owned retailers are famously publicity shy but Lidl says it now plans to be more open. "We feel now that the time is right to communicate more openly about our successes and growth plans," says Gottschlich. But it is business as usual for Aldi, which declined to confirm how many UK stores it had and does not even list its shops in the phone book.