Discount Retail Chain Aldi Ireland (German family owned) have voted by the Irish shoppers as the supermarket with the ‘best’ customer experience in Ireland, according to the CXi Ireland Customer Experience Report 2021. The findings announced today are based on a comprehensive survey of the Irish public taken during June and July 2021. The annual CXi Ireland Customer Experience Report 2021 focuses on the feedback of a cross section of Irish consumers on their customer experiences with 150+ companies across 11 sectors. Over 28,000 experiences were evaluated using The CX Framework, with Aldi finishing in the top 10 businesses in Ireland making them the highest ranking supermarket. Commenting on the latest achievement, Niall O’Connor, Group Managing Director, Aldi Ireland said, “Irish shoppers voting Aldi as the best supermarket for customer experience is a testament to the hard work and unwavering commitment from all of our staff and suppliers to deliver the best possible products to consumers at the very best prices.” “Our customers are at the heart of everything we do at Aldi and we pride ourselves on continually providing them with the highest quality food and drink, much of which is produced by Irish suppliers, and dynamic Specialbuys that allow them limitless discovery across a huge range of different categories.” Michael Killeen, Chairman of The CX Company, commented, “Aldi is a brand that has truly transformed the Irish grocery sector with their high quality products and affordable prices. They must be commended on not only a fantastic overall rating, but also the wonderful achievement of being the highest voted supermarket in the country when it comes to customer experience. The results today showcase just how valued they are in the retail space.” The CX Company was set up to accelerate customer experience excellence within companies operating in Ireland. This is the seventh year that the CXi Report has been published. The win comes as welcome news to Aldi, which was recently voted the most reputable supermarket in Ireland according to the 2021 RepTrak Ireland Report, achieving an “Excellent” reputation rating, and the most sustainable supermarket in Ireland according to the Ireland Sustainability RepTrak® Index 2021. Aldi currently stocks over 1,800 products and works with over 330 Irish suppliers across Ireland. In addition to this, Aldi has invested more than €3,000,000 (US$ 3.6 mio) in its Grow with Aldi supplier development programme since 2018, which provides an opportunity to Irish food and drink companies to gain a listing in Aldi’s 148 stores. See here for more: https://www.retailnews.ie/news-and-views/-aldi-named--best--supermarket-for-customer-experience/

Discount Retail Chain Aldi Denmark (German family owned) got the first place, followed by German discounter Lidl in second place. A survey among Danish consumers shows that most consumers consider the two German discount chains to be cheap places to buy. One thing is the reality and the real price. Something else is what consumers think. Now the daily newspaper BT in collaboration with the research institute YouGov has asked the Danish consumers which supermarket they consider to be a cheap place to shop. In the survey, only one per cent believe that Meny, Irma and Kvickly are cheap. 71 pct. believes that Aldi is cheap. Aldi will of course be happy. 'Cheap' is a message that Aldi has pumped out to the Danes for many years. So it is of course a victory for them that they have succeeded in building that position, says Mogens Bjerre, associate professor at Copenhagen Business School. After Aldi and Lidl come Rema 1000, Netto, Fakta and Coop 365. While 51 per cent. says Fakta, only 45 per cent believe that Coop 365 is cheap. This despite the fact that the latter just focuses on being cheaper than its sister chain. One reason, however, may be that there are still only approx. 50 Coop 365 stores. See here for more: https://dagligvarehandlen.dk/kaeder/danske-forbrugere-aldi-er-billigst

Discount Retail Chain Aldi France (German family owned) has already integrated more than 300 stores since January 2021, and Aldi France continues to expand. Thus, since the beginning of August, the discounter has transformed 67 former Leader Price stores. ALDI takes a further step in its expansion and gets closer to its goal: to offer every French person an Aldi store less than 15 minutes from their home. "We started in January, and to date 280 have already been converted out of 547. The rest should be finished, I hope, in November. That's 15 new stores per week, 60 per month! 'a transformation requires a closure of four to five weeks. An extra week if we have to change the fresh shelves, and two additional weeks if we decide to change the tiling. In 2021, we have really strengthened our teams dedicated to real estate, especially since in parallel with the transformation of Leader Price, we are opening around 80 stores, with around thirty new creations and many transfers / expansions. Among the stores taken over, some will undoubtedly close for reasons of too close proximity with our existing stores", Aldi France CEO Philip Demeulemeester recently told LSA. And obviously the pace of transformation from Leader Price to Aldi remains strong. Here is the list of stores transformed during the months of August and September 2021: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes - Montelimar (Corner Route de Marseille and Rue de Fourches; 26200) Brittany - Fougere (Bd Groslay; 35300) - Auray (71 Av. Du Général de Gaulle; 56400) Loire Valley Center - Roinville Sous Auneau (La Fosse Fondue; 28700) - Chateauroux (75 bd des Marins; 36000) - Sully-sur-Loire (Le Hameau, 45600) - Dreux (CC16 rue des bas buissons, 28100) Grand-Est - Pompey (ZA de Turlomont; 54340) - Piennes (ZI de la Mourière - RD106; 54490) - Sault-lès-Rethel (17-21 rue de Reims; 08300) Hauts-de-France - Soissons (ZAC de Chevreux; 02200) Ile-de-France - Paris (85-87 rue des Meaux; 75019) - Paris Cler (43 Rue Cler; 75007) - Paris Magenta (99 boulevard magenta; 75009) - Paris Pelleport (142 bis rue Pelleport) - Brie-Comte-Robert (1 rue Galilée; 77170) - Brie-Comte-Robert Armainvillier (bd Victor Hugo; 77220) - St-Thibault (ZAC de la Courtillière - 7av. De la Courtillière; 77400) - Le Chesnay (52 bd St Antoine; 78150) And here is the list of transformations for the month of July 2021: Bourgogne-Franche-Comté: Sense (N360; 89100) Belfort (150 Av. Jean Jaurès; 90,000) Center-Loire Valley: Saint-Doulchard (Place-dit clos du Petit Pied Blanc; 18230) Hauts-de-France: Wervicq-Sud (Corner of rue de l'Industrie / rue Gabriel Péri; 59117) Ile-de-France Paris (172 rue de Charenton; 75012) Paris (214 rue de Crimée; 75019) Paris (7 Place Pinel; 75013) Romainville (Cc Pablo Picasso; 93230) Melun (Zac du Champ de Foire; 77000) Antony (206 Rue A. Pajeaud; 92160) Normandy Fécamp (Boulevard Suzanne Clément; 76400) New Aquitaine Lagord (Zac des Vallées - Rue du Fief Rose; 17140) Rochefort (Av. D'Aunis - ZI Villeneuve Montigny; 17300) Pons (3 rue Albert Delage; 17800) Panazol (70 Avenue General de Gaulle; 87350) Saint-Pierre-du-Mont (25 Avenue de la Chesnaie; 40280) Saint-Jean-d'Angély (Rue France III; 17400) Surgères (22 Avenue François Mitterrand; 17700) Occitania Saint-Martin-de-Valgalgues (Route de St Ambroix; 30520) Landorthe (Lieu-dit "La Bachade"; 31800) Montpellier (Rue Zamenhof; 34001) Perpignan (Avenue de Bruxelles; 66000) Elne (2 rue Pierre Curie Zai Les Aigues Vives; 66200) Saint-Estève (46 avenue de Baixas; 66240) Thuir (2 chemin de la Prade; 66300) PACA Istres (Zac des Cognets Sud; 13800) Draguignan (CC Quartier des Ferrages Av. St Hermentaire; 83300) Montfavet (Zac de la Castelette; 84140) See here for more: https://www.lsa-conso.fr/ces-magasins-leader-price-qui-viennent-de-passer-aldi,394986

Discount Retail Chain Aldi Belgium (German family owned) has announced that it will sell second-hand iPhones in its Belgian stores. The initiative was launched in the United Kingdom with overwhelming success, which has opened the doors to the market in Belgium, and who knows if to others like the Spanish. The war between discounters takes a new step forward. While the rise in raw materials and transport prices is expected to escalate the prices of consumer goods, including food, each company plays its cards. While Lidl triumphs with its commitment to the agreement with Xiaomi to sell some of its products in its supermarket network, Aldi takes a new step to cut distances with its competitor and distinguishes itself with the trend of refurbished mobiles. And not with just anyone, but with the all-powerful iPhone. The initial test campaign took place at the end of 2020 in a mature market: the United Kingdom. Its success was total with the iPhone 8. The results seem to have convinced the strategic management to bring the operation to the European market. The first country that already enjoys this campaign is Belgium. There, the Aldi sell second-generation iPhone SE at a price of 369 euros, according to InfoRetail. Apparently, the German supermarket chain has decided to expand in Belgium the catalog of cheap refurbished Apple items. Thus, in addition to this iPhone SE model you can also get original AirPods and an Apple Watch model, with prices of 139 (US$167) and 299 (US$359) euros, respectively. At the moment, the offer in the 64 GB model exceeds in price some offers from Amazon and other retailers with distribution of refurbished devices. The company says all the devices put on sale in its more than 80 Stores in Belgium of Apple have original parts. Aldi considers this action as one of its campaigns for a limited time. Regular customers of the supermarket chain in Spain are wondering if that opportunity will come here. The market in Spain would have great potential. See here for more: Aldi renews its successful campaign of refurbished iPhones | Business Insider Spain

Discount Retail Chain Lidl Germany (owned by the German Schwarz Group) completed the construction of Lidl's most modern and sustainable administration and goods distribution center in Germany. After just over a year of construction, Lidl's new administration and goods distribution center in Erlensee, Hesse, is ready to move into. The building was constructed in accordance with the criteria of DGNB platinum certification and is expected to receive official certification this year. Fewer than ten logistics properties throughout Germany have so far been awarded this standard. The Lidl administration and goods distribution center in Erlensee is one of the most sustainable logistics properties in the country. The company uses state-of-the-art technologies for this standard: For example, a photovoltaic system produces around 1.2 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year, the use of rainwater and service water minimizes drinking water consumption and only natural refrigerants are used. Lidl also relies on a sustainable concept for the distribution of goods: the stores are supplied exclusively with LNG trucks, which have significantly lower emissions than diesel trucks. Complete commissioning of the site at the beginning of December The move from the current location in Alzenau will take place step by step over the next few months. First, the logistics areas and IT are set up. In October, long-life goods and food will be delivered to the new location, where they will be stored until they are put into operation. The actual move takes place on the first weekend in December. From December 6th, all 80 stores of the Lidl regional company will be supplied from Erlensee. See here for more: https://unternehmen.lidl.de/pressreleases/2021/211014_erlensee

Discount variety Retail Chain Pepco Group (listed and owned by Steinhoff International) reported in its update for the financial year ending September 30, 2021 that full year revenue of 4,122 million euros (US$ 4.95 billion), rose 19.4 percent year on year led by 29.2 percent growth at Pepco. The discounter reported total like-for-like sales growth of 6.5 percent including 10.2 percent growth in the fourth quarter and 9.8 percent for the full year at Pepco and 1 percent in Q4 and 3.1 percent for the full year at Poundland / Dealz. “We delivered another strong trading performance and made good progress against our strategic plans during the year. Despite the operational challenges from Covid disruption, we continued to open new stores across all three of our brands, opening 141 in the final quarter. While the backdrop against which we operate will remain challenging for some time, we remain confident in the significant growth opportunity we have, our plans to achieve them, and meeting future market expectations,” said Andy Bond, CEO of Pepco Group. The company, owner of the Pepco and Dealz brands in Europe and Poundland in the UK, added that full year underlying EBITDA is anticipated to be within a range of 640 million to 655 million euros (US$ 786 million). This range is at the upper end of analyst expectations and represents 45 percent growth at the mid-point on the Covid impacted prior year. The discounter further said that store openings are in line with guidance with 424 net new stores opened in the year. The company operates 483 stores including Fultons stores acquired trading at the year-end. 364 new Pepco stores were opened during the year under review, including 33 in the Western European markets of Italy and Spain and first three stores in Austria. Poundland / Dealz opened 60 net new stores, 119 including Fultons. See here for more: https://fashionunited.uk/news/business/pepco-group-reports-like-for-like-sales-growth-of-6-5-percent/2021101358379?amp=1

Discount Retail Chain Aldi UK (German family owned) has announced that it has launched a new home online storefront on its social media sites. The retailer’s homeware and furniture store is hugely popular with customers, often finding themselves in large virtual queues on release dates for sought-after items. “You heard it here first! We’re launching our brand new Online Home Store so that you can now shop our home and interior products at your leisure!,” Aldi announced on social media. The announcement was met positively by customers, with one saying: “Aldi just gets better all the time.” The store will contain items including fragrances and candles, luxury bedding, home furnishings and Aldi’s kitchen range. A spokesperson for Aldi said to WalesOnline: “Those looking for interiors and homewares should also check out Aldi’s new, permanent online home store, which offers everything from top quality bedding to tableware and kitchen essentials. “Available all year round, the new offering is in addition to specialbuy favourites, which will continue to launch online and in store on Thursdays and Sundays.” The news comes a day after the grocer announced it was launching gift cards for Aldi customers in the UK for the first time. Shoppers are able to buy the contactless, plastic-free gift cards up to £500 from this week in over 900 stores nationwide. See here for more: https://www.chargedretail.co.uk/2021/10/08/aldi-launches-new-home-online-store/

Discount Retail Chain T MARKET (owned by Lithuania Maxima Grupė UAB) food chain opened its doors in Bobov dol. This is the 95th store for the company in the country and the 50th city in which it is located. It is located at 28 Dimitar Blagoev Street. The ribbon of the new store was cut by Petar Pavlov, CEO of Maxima Bulgaria and Iliya Belev, Chief Operating Officer and member of the Board of Directors of Maxima Bulgaria. " I would like to remind you that you, our employees, are people working on the front line and you must be responsible to both your customers and your colleagues . Today we are very proud because we are entering the 50th city in the country. The whole team is like one big family that has to work with a smile to create pleasant emotions from shopping for customers. ", Said Petar Pavlov, General Director of the retail chain T MARKET. T MARKET continues to offer its customers some of the lowest prices on the market and does not stop proving that they are the practical choice of the Bulgarian. The new supermarket is made in the new format that the company will continue to develop. The main focus will be traditional Bulgarian dishes from the warm showcase of T MARKET. They are prepared in the chain's own workshop, under the watchful eye and professionalism of master chefs. A special and rich section is provided for the supporters of BIO and organic foods. Also, customers will find a wide selection of ready-made fresh salads, confectionery stand, fruit and vegetable area, non-food sector and last but not least, fresh Bulgarian meat. The bread bar will offer a wide range of pasta baked on site. T MARKET has opened 17 jobs in the city and the team of the company already employs over 2,300 people. "With the opening of our store in Bobov Dol we make quality products with great prices even more affordable for customers. We are already doing it in 95 stores and we will not stop developing," said Iliya Belev, chief operating officer and member of the board of directors of Maxima Bulgaria. Visitors to the newly opened store will also be able to take advantage of price reductions on goods and products marked with special "Thank you" labels. They are part of the loyalty program for customers with a THANK YOU card. Every customer wishing to acquire such a card must apply for it and receive it at the cash desks of the chain. See here for more: https://tmarket.bg/article/t-market-stapva-v-50-ya-grad-v-stranata-bobov-dol

Discount Retail Chain PENNY (owned by the German REWE Group) continues its expansion plan in Romania by opening two new stores: one in Săbăoani, Neamț County and one in Buzău, Buzău County. Thus, re tert network PENNY reach a total of 288 shops. The first, the store in Săbăoani, Neamț County on Str. Progresului, no. 5, has a sales area of ​​860 m 2, four cash registers and 15 employees. At the same time, the store has 80 parking spaces. The second, the store in Buzău, Buzău county on Str. Stadionului, no. 120, has a sales area of ​​806.7 m2, four cash registers and 14 employees. Moreover, the store has 34 parking spaces. The design of the new stores in Săbăoani and Buzău is modern and welcoming, and the shopping session for customers is improved due to the large area for fresh products, own brands for Romanians, but also due to more visible signage of promotions and main food categories. In addition, the new PENNY offers simple solutions, adapted to the alert lifestyle, such as ready-to-eat products, but also semi-prepared, refrigerated or frozen ones. PENNY Punct represents the strategic evolution of Penny Market in Romania and is very clearly structured in seven key pillars: improved experience in stores, expansion, Romanian products, people, digitalization, sustainability and integrated communication. The expansion pillar refers to the expansion of stores and the development of logistics capabilities. By 2029, PENNY aims to reach the number of 600 stores and in terms of logistics, this year the retailer will inaugurate the fourth warehouse in Filiași, Dolj County. PENNY PENNY is the successful concept of the German group REWE and one of the most active retailers in Romania, with the first store opened on the local market in 2005. The entire network is served by three logistics centers located in Ștefăneștii de Jos, Turda and Bacău. Currently, the PENNY network in Romania consists of 288 stores nationwide and a dedicated team of over 5,300 employees. See here for more: https://www.retail-fmcg.ro/retail/discounterul-penny-deschide-doua-magazine-iar-reteaua-sa-ajunge-la-288-de-unitati.html

Discount Retail Chain ALDI USA (German family owned) has earned recognition for the second time in a row the National Top 100 Partner by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Green Power Partnership for the company’s advancements in transitioning to green power across its operations. The EPA also honored ALDI with the 2020 GreenChill Store Certification Excellence award while more than 30 stores received the Store ReCertification Excellence honors for reducing harmful refrigerant emissions. “We’re proud to be continually recognized by the EPA as a grocery leader in the voluntary green power market, and this acclaim solidifies our steadfast commitment to protecting our environment,” said Dan Gavin, vice president of national real estate at ALDI. “Every day, our team works to increase energy efficiency and reduce our carbon footprint across all ALDI operations, particularly in regard to our carbon footprint of our stores and warehouses.” The EPA established the Green Power Partnership in 2001 to protect human health and the environment by encouraging organizations to use voluntary green power and renewable electricity sources so, organizations like ALDI help reduce carbon pollution and the corresponding negative environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. “We applaud ALDI for their sustained commitment to reducing their refrigerant emissions,” said Kirsten Cappel, GreenChill program manager. “ALDI continues to demonstrate their environmental leadership by having a record number of stores re-certify for over five years.” ALDI is taking steps to increase its energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions through a continued transition to solar and wind energy. The company is also building out its renewable infrastructure to rely less on traditional power grids and adopting natural refrigerants. The ALDI charter for sustainability describes the company’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26% by 2025. See here for more: https://www.supermarketperimeter.com/articles/7158-aldi-recognized-for-green-power-advancements

Discount Retail Chain Aldi Netherlands (German family owned) will open a new store at the beginning of 2022 on the corner of Oudegracht and Lange Viestraat in Utrecht. Special feature: it will be a checkout-free store. Yet there is a difference; it is a cashierless store. Within the European group of companies of Aldi Nord, the new branch in Utrecht has been designated as a test location. Jan Oostvogels, CEO Aldi Holding in the Netherlands: 'We are very happy and honored with the choice for Utrecht. The high degree of digitization in the Netherlands means that we are convinced that we have the right climate here to test new technologies like these.' In the store, which covers more than 500 square meters, groceries are automatically paid for thanks to a special app and sensors that register which items the customer puts in the shopping cart. The system does not use facial recognition, eye or fingerprint scans, nor the use of other biometric identifiers. The system only tracks the movements made by the customer and the item. The advanced technology is developed by Trigo Vision. As the inventor of discount, Aldi is proud to take this step, says Oostvogels. 'Testing this new concept fits in with current developments at Aldi and is in line with the strategy to make shopping as easy as possible, everywhere and for everyone.' See here for more: https://www.marketingtribune.nl/food-en-retail/nieuws/2021/10/aldi-test-kassaloos-concept-in-utrecht/index.xml

Discount Retail Chain Lidl Poland (owned by the Schwarz Group) has a lot of fans, because it approaches itself with a distance. Clothing with a clearly visible brand logo is a hit that has been winning the hearts of fashionistas for some time, and the #LIDLFAN collection is making a sensation. What does the grocery chain have to do to have fans? We asked Wojtek Walczak, strategy director of the Plej agency. The answer is theoretically very simple, what Lidl currently sells is promoted with distance, humor and respect for the tastes of consumers. In this case, it is impossible not to recall the sentence that "a person watches and reads what interests or amuses him, and sometimes it happens that it is an advertisement", which in the case of Lidl has always been key in building his "fanbase", the expert says. And he adds: Whether on television, radio or social media, Lidl communication has always had "something", which can be defined as a great distance to itself and the belief that advertising can sell and have fun at the same time. All of this does not happen ad hoc, but is part of a long-term strategy complemented by tactical actions. And with all this, one important thing should not be forgotten, the offer, which goes hand in hand with the advertising promise, that is, it provides the choice and quality that consumers like for both "lidlowe", "crunchy from the oven", "market" and many others that show that this approach works. Lidl is cool How did Lidl manage to become a "cool" grocer? The consequence and the belief that you can talk about a commercial offer in a creative, fun and self-respecting way. Importantly, Lidl has used and uses for promotion practically every point of contact with consumers in a way that belongs to a given place and time, while remaining strategically very consistent. Lidl has found its place on the Polish market both as a store concept and an advertising concept, and this in the long term pays off with such results, i.e. not only sales, but also having a brand on this competitive market. It always makes a difference, says Wojtek Walczak. Who could prove themselves today as an ambassador for Lidl? In the case of such cooperation, the key is always the answer to the questions: what goals is such a person to achieve, does he have the appropriate image, popularity and range for this, i.e. the potential for implementation and at the same time whether he has the "fun factor" needed to build a coherent whole, summarizes the director of the Plej agency. See here for more: https://www-dlahandlu-pl.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.dlahandlu.pl/detal-hurt/wiadomosci/lidl-ma-do-siebie-dystans-dzieki-czemu-bawi-i-sprzedaje,102216.amp