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Nice pork, pity about the pizza

Judi Bevan

Wednesday, 3rd September 2008

Judi Bevan finds her local Lidl discount store full of bargains — but not Boden-clad middle-class shoppers

Intrigued by reports that the middle classes are shopping at the German discount stores Aldi and Lidl — and even stuffing their purchases in Waitrose bags — I set off to track them down. My nearest Lidl is a couple of miles from my house at the northern end of Cricklewood Broadway — not exactly an area known for yummy-mummy sightings, and without a Starbucks or Caffè Nero for miles.

Yet the statistics say that sales at both Aldi and Lidl have been growing strongly since householders have been hit by higher petrol and utility bills. The latest figures from market research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres showed Aldi and Lidl increasing their market shares by 19.8 per cent and 12.3 per cent respectively. In Aldi’s case, this boosted its market share to a new record of 3 per cent — only one percentage point behind Waitrose — while Lidl has 2.3 per cent.

When measured against Tesco’s 31.6 per cent these incursions look small — but still they are credited with bringing Tesco’s growth in market share to a halt over the past quarter. Their success has spurred Tesco to embark on a secret project to see how it can compete more effectively against this no-frills, low-cost model. Tesco’s boss, Sir Terry Leahy, remember, believes that ‘only the paranoid survive’.

When the discounters first arrived in the early 1990s, Tesco’s response was to launch its ‘Value’ range while Sainsbury’s, Asda and Safeway all embarked on a price war. By the mid-Nineties the big groups believed they had seen off the foreign invaders: ‘We have really hurt the discounters,’ announced David Sainsbury, the then chairman of the family firm, at one annual meeting. But they refused to go away. The credit crunch, along with the demise of Kwik Save, has given them the opportunity to flex their muscles again. Aldi and Lidl both have around 400 stores in Britain, typically in unfashionable suburbs and scruffy inner-city enclaves where sites are cheaper. Both plan to open more.

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DD

September 7th, 2008 1:54pm

Agree with the article, but you do the staff a disservice. They work harder and are paid more than their equivalents in Asda. Because the stores are so small, they also get to know most of their regular customers. Perhaps they reserve their disdain for those who patronise them, and their customers.

Gus

September 9th, 2008 2:38pm

As with all stores, a little further thought can provide better results. Being of German parentage, some lines are of much higher quality than others eg chocolate and ground coffee - both real bargains. Fruit & veg often comes from Italy rather than Spain, with generally better taste (probably including your pears). Frozen fish and wines are often a good choice, as are cooked meats, coleslaw etc, with many lines often subject to periodic special discounts (Bounty kitchen paper @ £3.50). No I don't work for them and much of the stuff is rubbish, but there are real gems hidden in there if you know how to look!

occasional ranter

September 11th, 2008 11:54am

3 points, from a very middle class shopper who has used Lidl regularly for years:
1. Don't diss the staff. They are generally motivated, alert and helpful.
2. Once you get to know the product ranges, you can avoid the occasional duff product quite easily. Usually the quality is much higher than in the big 4.
3. The few holes that are left in the weekly shop (like good puddings !) can be filled at Waitrose or M&S.

Lidl by Lidl...

September 17th, 2008 10:30pm

I love Lidl and have shopped there for years. The staff are low-key but excellent.

Unlike Tesco et al, it has no ready meal rubbish, just proper food stuffs, meat, pasta, fish, vegetables, and good quality eggs and butter (half price of Lurpak but just as nice). Ham, meats and the like are excellent. Own brand laundry detergent is excellent and a third the price of comparable brand names...... oh and the booze is ok too. No frills, no bother, no problem parking, no chavs, no prams, no piped muzak........... lovely.

I prefer to keep more of my money to pay for some things I want after the taxes, bills and other pleasures this government has heaped upon me.

Just another poor middle-class person.

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