Aldi is a privately owned grocer that has built its reputation on low prices and, as well as food, is famous for ‘special buys’ – bargain products that arrive in stores every Thursday and Sunday.
The business was established in Germany in the 1940s by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht and in 1960 split in two to form Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud. The UK and Ireland business is part of Aldi Sud, which also operates in countries including China, Australia and the USA.
In recent years Aldi, and value supermarket counterpart Lidl, have disrupted the established UK grocers and won market share.
Aldi has focused on selling through its stores and only offers a limited selection online, such as wines and a variety of general merchandise ranging from weekly special buys to toys and homewares. Aldi UK has a target of 1,200 stores by 2025.
From persuading people not to panic-buy to ensuring shoppers and staff are safe, supermarkets have had to overcome some Herculean challenges following the onset of coronavirus.
Aldi has become the first supermarket in the UK to effectively ration the sale of all lines as customers continue to stockpile in the face of the coronavirus outbreak.
As 21st-century consumers, we’ve gotten used to having the world at our fingertips. Then seemingly overnight, all the stuff we take for granted is in question – access to healthcare; groceries on shelves; the ability to travel, go to school, socialise with friends.
Tesco boss Dave Lewis and Ocado chief executive Tim Steiner were among the winners of the Retail Week Awards 2020 sponsored by Salesforce.
Tesco is to price match Aldi on hundreds of grocery products as it bids to win back market share from its discount rival.
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