Discount Retail Chain Tiendas 3B is expanding its footprint in the Mexican retail market, achieving a penetration of 91%, according to a new study by Kantar México. The “Consumer Insights Q1 2025” report from Kantar’s Worldpanel division reveals Tiendas 3B nearing Bodega Aurrera’s 94% penetration rate. The hard discount chain outperformed competitors like Tiendas Neto and OXXO in store visits, visit frequency, and items purchased per trip. Fabiola de la Portilla, Director of Strategy and Business Development, Kantar Mexico, noted that Walmart de México experienced a decline in consumer spending share for the second consecutive quarter. Tiendas 3B shoppers averaged 24 visits per quarter, compared to Bodega Aurrera’s 21, particularly in central Mexico and the Valley of Mexico. However, Bodega Aurrera retained its lead in average basket size and spending, with shoppers purchasing 11 items per visit and spending an average of MX$325 (US$17.20). Tiendas 3B shoppers bought six items and spent MX$114 per visit on average.  “The key challenge for Tiendas 3B is to increase the number of items per basket,” said De la Portilla during the report presentation. “The foundation is in place for continued growth.” Sustained inflation is driving the shift toward hard discount retailers, as consumers prioritize lower prices, affordable brands, and bundled promotions in single-store formats. This trend has bolstered 3B’s value-driven model. Price clubs have also seen growth, with shopping frequency rising from 2.5 visits in 1Q23 to 3.0 visits in 1Q25, reflecting more regular shopping habits in this channel. Read more: Tiendas 3B Hits 91% Market Penetration, Outpaces Neto and OXXO #smartdiscount #t3b #tiendas3b #neto #oxxo #harddiscount #hd #marketpenetration #mexico #expansion #growth #development #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Discount Retail Chain Lidl Netherlands is further expanding its logistics in the Netherlands. The distribution centre in Etten-Leur will be enlarged by almost half of its surface area. There will also be a charging plaza. Lidl's distribution center in Etten-Leur is too small. Reason for the retailer to expand the warehouse. On September 23, the first pile of the expansion will be driven. It will be increased by 15,000 m², increasing the total surface area to 53,000 m². Purpose of expanding distribution centre The expansion of the warehouse is intended to make the logistics operation more future-proof: more storage capacity, greater flexibility in routing and receiving, and the ability to accommodate volume growth without bottlenecks in the operation. For that reason, the company is building a mega DC in Moerdijk. Charging station Lidl Simultaneously with the driving of the first pawl, Lidl will start using a charging plaza at the DC. The new charging plaza is an essential step in Lidl's sustainability and logistics strategy. As with recent charging plazas in Weert and Heerenveen, the plaza offers powerful charging infrastructure for electric trucks. Fast charging stations are used for this that provide fast charging with green electricity, partly generated via solar panels on the roof of the distribution center. In addition to its own freight traffic, external companies can also use the facility. They will have access via reserved time slots and at favourable rates. Read more: Lidl expands distribution centre in Etten-Leur by almost fifty percent • Warehouse Totaal #smartdiscount #lidl #expansion #harddiscount #hd #growth #warehouse #dc #netherlands #scm #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Discount Retail Chain ALDI is consistently continuing its #Ernährungswechsel and is publishing its Nutrition Report for the third time. In doing so, the company is making its progress in its commitment to a balanced and more sustainable diet transparent: With targeted measures, ALDI has been able to optimise the sugar and salt content in numerous products, expand its range of plant-based foods and create even more transparency for consumers. ALDI is expanding its share of plant-based products and already carries more than 1,400 vegan-labelled products throughout the year, more than twice as many as in 2021. In order to transparently show its customers the progress made in expanding its plant-based range, the discounter publishes the plant-based portion of its food range, this year based on the WWF's extended calculation method. The plant-based share is 56.4 percent, the animal-based share is 43.6 percent. In addition, ALDI supports the proposal to tax plant-based alternative products at the reduced VAT rate of seven percent in the future. The supply of plant-based protein sources also plays an important role in the gradual implementation of the Planetary Health Diet in the range. Therefore, the company plans to adopt a protein target, ideally in lockstep with all German food retailers. "ALDI is living up to its great influence on the nutrition of its customers by disclosing the plant-based content of its range and promoting uniform measurement according to the WWF method," explains Dirk Liebenberg, Head of Corporate Engagement ProVeg. "This step gives the entire industry an important impetus for greater transparency and collaboration to make it easier for consumers to eat a more plant-based diet. It is now crucial that the industry ambitiously designs its goals and measures to achieve this. Because with ambition, an impetus becomes the industry standard." Less sugar and salt, more transparency for everyone ALDI continuously reviews and optimises the recipes of its own-brand products – e.g. in the sugar and salt sectors. Among other things, the recipes in the cereal and frozen pizza range have been revised: Compared to 2014, 400 tonnes of sugar have been reduced in the cereal range. This corresponds to approximately 17 truckloads of 25 tons each. The frozen pizza range has also been revised: Compared to 2014, a total of 21.8 tons of salt were saved, equivalent to the weight of approximately 11 average passenger cars. ALDI is also creating greater transparency for consumers with the Nutri-Score: All ALDI private label products are now labeled with the Nutri-Score. Making Conscious Eating Easy ALDI wants to make it easy for its customers to eat a balanced and more sustainable diet. Dr. Julia Adou, Director of Sustainability at ALDI, explains: "Conscious eating is an important lever for greater sustainability and personal health, as a basic supplier, we embrace this responsibility. The Nutrition Report shows how we are making this accessible to everyone with clearly defined measures and a wide range of products." In the nutrition report, customers will find not only specific measures implemented by ALDI, but also practical everyday tips for conscious shopping and a balanced diet. Further information can be found in the ALDI nutrition report: Nutrition Report, Actively promoting conscious nutrition. Read more: Sustainability: ALDI SOUTH puts more plant-based foods on the shelves ‹ Fruchtportal #smartdiscount #aldi #germany #wwf #sustainable #plantbased #assortment #expansion #growth #healthy #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Discount Variety Retail Chain Tokmanni Group is expanding and renovating its stores across Finland, Sweden and Denmark. In Finland, the Tokmanni discount retail chain has opened its first store in the municipality of Kimitoön. In November of this year, the retailer will open new stores in Jokela, Tuusula and Naantali. Additionally, the Nilsiä store, in Kuopio, will relocate to new premises in November. Dollarstore Dollarstore, Tokmanni Group’s discount retail banner, is expanding its footprint in Sweden and Denmark, with four new-store openings planned for this year. Three new Dollarstore outlets are to open in Sweden: in Erikslund, in Västerås; in Gamlestaden, in Gothenburg; and Lycksele. The 4,050-square-metre Erikslund store, in Västerås, which will be open by the end of September, will offer a diverse product range, with a focus on home renovation. This will be Västerås’s second new Dollarstore this year, following an earlier announcement for a store in Hälla. The company will also consolidate its presence in Gothenburg with the Gamlestaden store opening in late November, in addition to the previously announced Sisjön store. In Lycksele, Dollarstore will move into a new, permanent location this autumn, after operating from temporary premises. Another new store is also slated for Östhammar this year. In Denmark, the tenth Big Dollar store will open in Skive, located in the Central Denmark Region. Improved Product Range Fredrik Holmström, head of expansion at Dollarstore, highlighted that the product range has recently been enhanced with many private-label items from the Tokmanni Group, including brands like Kotikulta, Miny and Energy+. Currently, Tokmanni Group operates 383 stores across the three Nordic countries. This includes 204 Tokmanni stores, 34 Click Shoes stores, and two Shoe House stores in Finland, alongside the Tokmanni and Click Shoes online stores. Sweden has 134 Dollarstore outlets, while nine Big Dollar stores operate in Denmark. Additionally, starting in 2025, Tokmanni Group has had exclusive rights to sell SPAR products and manage the SPAR brand in Finland. Read more: Tokmanni Group Expands In The Nordics | ESM Magazine #smartdiscount #tokmanni #expansion #growth #development #stores #sweden #finland #norway #drc #discount #retail #variety #nonfood #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Discount Retail Chain Lidl USA opened its first U.S. stores in 2017, and has become a familiar place for many bargain-seeking Americans, but the company is eager to expand its presence within its core markets, including the New York metro area. To that end, Lidl US debuted a store at 408 Grand Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side this past August.  Having visited one of the grocer’s New York-area stores in the Queens neighbourhood of Fresh Meadows last year, which coincided with the company’s move to “Americanize” its operations. “Manhattan is a natural fit within our broader growth strategy in key markets like New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Atlanta,” explains Alan Barry, EVP real estate and operations at the grocer, whose U.S. headquarters is in Arlington, Va. “When it comes to choosing new store locations, we look for convenient locations for our customers that can support high traffic volume daily.” Reaching New Shoppers Barry: “This year, Lidl US is opening more new stores across New York to bring even more shoppers the high-quality, low-priced products they know and love. The goal of our expansion is to reach new shoppers, and our new stores are driving people to try Lidl US so they can experience first hand our unbeatable products at the lowest prices. Our business model allows us to expand without compromising on the value or experience we offer.” How does the Grand Street store cater to the vibrant urban community it serves, Barry replies, “While our stores follow a consistent format designed for efficiency and value, the new Lower Manhattan location is tailored to fit the fast-paced, on-the-go lifestyle of NYC shoppers.” This customization includes the “incredible promotions” featured in the new store’s flyer, he notes. Strategic Tailored Assortment Beyond individual locations’ offerings, Barry notes that the grocer’s items are “continually tailored to meet the demands of U.S. shoppers and ensure we’re providing the highest-quality products at the ‘Lidl-est’ prices. Our strategic assortment means we’re not overwhelming customers with options, but still offering unique ‘surprise and delight’ items customers can’t get anywhere else. For example, we offer American favorites like muffins, doughnuts and New York bagels while keeping our fan favorites, like our 49-cent croissant.” While Barry is tight-lipped regarding future store openings in the New York metro area or elsewhere, he emphasizes that the company is making the growth of its store base a top priority. As for locations beyond Lidl’s core markets, he asserts that the company is committed to “exploring expansion opportunities so more Americans can experience our unbeatable quality at [value] prices.” This push to open more stores is a key part of the food retailer’s drive to keep its present and future shoppers satisfied. As Barry says, “At Lidl US, we’re always looking for ways to improve and evolve with our customers’ needs.”  Read more: COLUMN: Lidl Ramps Up Presence in NYC as Part of Overall Growth Strategy | Progressive Grocer #smartdiscount #lidl #expansion #growth #focus #strategy #usa #newyork #nyc #americanize #bigapple #city #store #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Discount Retail Chain Lidl Polska generated sales revenues of PLN 41.3 billion (US$ 11.4 Bn). Gross profit amounted to PLN 2.15 billion (US$ 590 Mn), which is 5.18%, in the period from 1 March 2024 to 28 February 2025. The total value of income tax is PLN 490.7 million. Lidl Polska also became the owner of 50% of the shares of deposit system operator OK Operator Kaucyjny S.A. Lidl in numbers in Poland The consulting company Deloitte estimated that in 2024, the operation of Lidl Polska stores generated over PLN 11.4 billion in added value (this is PLN 1.3 billion more than in 2023), of which PLN 6 billion was generated by Lidl, and PLN 5.4 billion by the suppliers of the Lidl Polska chain and thanks to salaries paid to employees. The total amount of remuneration generated by the chain amounted to PLN 2.9 billion, and revenues from taxes and contributions to the state budget and local governments exceeded PLN 3.5 billion. In 2024, more than 340 Polish suppliers exported their products to 28 foreign markets where Lidl is present. The value of these exports amounted to nearly PLN 6.9 billion. Over the last seven years (2018–2024), exports of Polish products through the international Lidl network have reached a value of over PLN 32 billion (US$ 8.85Bn). The value of exports has been steadily growing for years, Lidl Polska intends to continue to promote and support the presence of Polish products on foreign markets. Over PLN 41 billion in Lidl's revenues and investment in the deposit system operator #smartdiscount #lidl #poland #profit #revenue #growth #development #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

DRC interview for Handelsblatt The German discount retail chains Aldi and Lidl are reacting quickly and benefiting especially one of the two. After a dramatic price increase, US consumers are abandoning previous habits. On the Lower East Side, a lively neighborhood in the middle of New York, the retailer Lidl is currently tempting with particularly large discounts. Just a few weeks ago, the company opened a new store here and advertises with the "Lidl-est prices", a play on words from the brand name and the English word for "small". This is because American consumers are increasingly paying attention to prices in the supermarket. Since the corona pandemic, the cost of food has continued to rise, and the US government's tariff policy is now causing additional uncertainty. The two German discounters, Lidl and Aldi , could benefit significantly from this. While the tense situation catches many US supermarkets unprepared, the two German chains are well positioned with a suitable business model. Analysts see great growth potential for Aldi in particular. Lidl is also expanding, but still faces some challenges. Number of customers on the rise Already at the opening of a Lidl store in Manhattan in July, the rush was great, long queues regularly formed in front of the checkouts. Customers in other branches in the city have also had to wait longer for several months before they can pay for their purchases. The perceived waiting time of visitors can be substantiated with concrete figures: Discounters in the USA experienced a significant increase in customer numbers in the first half of this year. According to a recent analysis by PlacerAI, the number of visitors to the American Lidl stores has increased by almost five percent compared to the same period last year. The software consultancy evaluates location data for this purpose. 'Food customers in the USA are currently experiencing a price shock,' Marc Houppermans Discount Retail Consulting At German competitor Aldi, the increase is even more than seven percent. By comparison, classic grocery stores recorded an increase in visitors of only 1.8 percent in the same period. With an increase of around twelve percent, German retailers were only surpassed by the US supermarket chain Trader Joe's, which, however, is a subsidiary of Aldi Nord. "Food customers in the USA are currently experiencing a price shock," explains Marc Houppermans, Executive Partner of the industry consultancy Discount Retail Consulting. During the coronavirus pandemic, many families still received food stamps, but the new government has scaled back this support. "At the same time, prices are rising dramatically," the former top manager of Aldi Nord told Handelsblatt. Finally, there are the tariffs on imported food, Houppermans emphasizes. This is because the Trump administration also levies special levies on imported products, which are often found in American supermarkets. From India, which has so far been subject to a tariff rate of 50 percent, the USA mainly purchases spices, nuts and rice. Brazil, in turn, is an important supplier of meat and coffee as well as fruit and vegetables. Imports from the South American country are also currently subject to 50 percent. Yale University's Budget Lab has calculated the cost increases for certain foods. According to the report, all currently applicable US tariffs will increase the price of fruit and vegetables by six percent in the short term, while processed rice will increase in price by 6.4 percent. Consumers even have to pay about ten percent more for fishery products. Discounter with unusual concept for US consumers "In the past, Americans bought in large quantities and did not pay attention to prices. Today, they are extremely price-sensitive," says Houppermans. The US supermarkets are not prepared for this. Discounters such as Aldi, on the other hand, already offer small pack sizes at low prices. The decisive advantage of German discounters lies in their efficient, streamlined structures with fewer staff and lower rental costs. As a result, they already offer comparatively low prices and were able to absorb the cost increases more easily than the competition – which protects their returns. Aldi store in the USA: "This hits the nerve of consumers." Photo: Reuters In fact, the principle of discounters seems to fit perfectly into the new era of cautious consumers. Unlike in many US supermarkets, customers have to put their purchased products in the shopping bags themselves. Employees often place the goods in wholesale boxes on the shelves instead of draping them individually. In addition, the discounters mainly have their own brands in their range. This strategy, which is new to many Americans, saves significant costs and thus reduces the supermarket bill. The US supermarket chains have to raise prices much more than the discounters. As a result, they have managed to keep their sales slightly above the previous year's level for the time being, as figures from market researcher Bloomberg Second Measures, which Handelsblatt has evaluated, show. These figures also show Aldi's success: The chain is achieving growth compared to the previous year without raising prices. Aldi, for example, even increased sales by double digits at the beginning of the year. In the summer, they kept sales stable – although they lowered prices for 400 products from June. This covers almost a quarter of the entire range. Aldi benefits from the takeover of a competitor "Aldi owes much of its success to its impressive operational performance," explains PlacerAI analyst Bracha Arnold. The chain is focused on maximizing efficiency and streamlining operations to keep fixed costs low. "The efforts seem to be paying off," says Arnold. After all, Aldi is one of the fastest growing food chains in the country. Aldi, or Aldi Süd to be precise, now operates more than 2500 stores in the U.S. and plans to open more than 225 more this year alone, the company announced in the spring. The acquisition of Southeastern Grocers should also help. Some of the retailer's stores, former Winn-Dixies and Harveys supermarkets, are to be converted into Aldi stores. Aldi has thus almost doubled the pace of expansion this year: Last year, the retailer grew by 120 stores in the United States. According to expert Houppermans, Aldi is still able to increase the number of customers per store despite its rapid expansion. Lidl has also been able to grow recently. However, Houppermans still sees the German competitor confronted with some challenges. With almost 200 stores in the USA, the supermarket chain of the Schwarz Group is by far the smaller player, and recently there have been some new openings, including in the US states of New York, Maryland and New Jersey. "Lidl has so far invested five to ten billion euros in its store network and warehouse infrastructure. Nevertheless, the retailer Aldi is far behind," says Houppermans. This is also reflected in the profit: While the USA is now one of the most profitable markets for Aldi, Lidl is said to continue to be in the red in the country due to the high start-up costs, according to industry circles. This is also due to the fact that Lidl has not yet found the right business model for the USA. "The retailer is conceptually between discounter and supermarket," says Houppermans. Lidl has therefore temporarily sent top manager Marco Giudici from headquarters to the management of the US subsidiary to further sharpen the positioning of the brand. The discounters rely heavily on local goods In recent years, Lidl has tried to win over the suburban audience in particular - i.e. mainly wealthy and older people. Among the recently price-sensitive singles and career starters, the chain has lost market share over the past five years, as the figures from PlacerAI show. 'The pressure is now very high internally at Lidl to finally deliver results,' Marc Houppermans Discount Retail Consulting Recently, however, the retailer has also expanded in city centres. "This push beyond its well-known roots in affluent suburbs suggests that Lidl may be trying to increase its appeal to a more diverse urban clientele," explains PlacerAI analyst Arnold. Expert Houppermans emphasizes: "The pressure is now very high internally at Lidl to finally deliver results. Because they have hardly any growth left in Europe, they are doomed to success in the USA." At least in terms of price, Lidl can keep up. In the new branch on the Lower East Side, consumers pay less than in comparable US supermarkets. How much the discounters are affected by the tariff policy of the Trump administration itself, Aldi and Lidl left unanswered when asked. Most recently, however, Lidl emphasized that the retailer sources its goods locally wherever possible. Around 85 percent of the products came from the USA, a Lidl spokeswoman told Handelsblatt. And Aldi also relies more on local suppliers than on "made in Germany". Read more: USA: Lidl und Aldi sichern sich Markanteile mit der Discounter-Strategie #smartdiscount #aldi #lidl #usa #expansion #placerai #handelsblatt #growth #inflation #customer #stores #harddiscount #hd #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

The hi-lo pricing strategy wasn’t designed for the modern landscape, and the declining market share of traditional supermarkets proves it. Grocers need a new model. In this two-part article, we’ll discuss: Why hi-lo was once a viable option but will be an untenable one in the near future. Hazards of hi-lo: price perception problems, margin erosion, mindshare monopolization. Why we recommend “everyday fair price” instead. Areas to evolve: promo dynamics, pricing strategy, supplier negotiations and more. The pillars that elevated hi-lo as the pre-eminent pricing strategy in grocery the past 30 years have crumbled, and it’s time for grocers to clear the rubble and build something new. Hot weekly deals once helped grocers capture entire baskets; now they mostly draw cherry-pickers and drive low-margin sales. National brands once differentiated assortments; now consumers can buy those brands more cheaply any day of the week at big- box stores and discounters. Frequent sales once served as a powerful tool to shape price perception; now consumers can easily monitor prices across stores in real time to discern where value lies, based on the items that matter to them. The world for which hi-lo was designed no longer exists, and the hazards of pretending otherwise are substantial. The Proliferation of EDLP The rise of alternative grocers over the last two decades has trained shoppers that they don’t have to be at the mercy of their grocer’s promotional schedule to get a fair deal on a favorite item. Instead of waiting to buy or paying more, shoppers simply go elsewhere. More than half of consumers now spend most of their grocery budget in a channel other than traditional grocery, according to FMI. EDLP formats have been steadily gaining share for more than a decade. Younger consumers are driving that trend. For example, we found that 13% of shoppers 18-24 and 15% of shoppers 25-34 spend most of their grocery budget in club — noticeably higher than the average of 9%. Going Too Far With the “Hi” Another problem is that, for many grocers, the “hi” has gotten out of control. When there’s consistently a significant gap between regular prices and sale prices, consumers become wary of buying at full price, and eventually they lose all confidence in the fairness of the pricing overall and defect to a competitor. In our research for the 2025 “Grocery Shopper Perspectives” report, we found that 32% of consumers want consistently competitive prices rather than ones that are “super-low sometimes and high other times.” Again, younger consumers are driving the trend. Hazard No. 2: Mindshare Monopolization At the heart of hi-lo is the relentless and highly programmatic promotional calendar, which detracts time and focus from the parts of the business that drive differentiation, loyalty and traffic. Too many grocers have become so reliant on vendor funding that merchants spend most of their time negotiating and planning with vendors. Time and focus are zero sum, so if those resources are largely being spent on promotions, then everything else is an afterthought. Merchants need to focus instead on how to enhance the overall category, the customer experience, the stores and other elements that strengthen competitive advantage. Hazard No. 3: Margin Erosion For many grocers, vendor funding has long played a significant role in profitability, and organizations have become addicted. Chasing those dollars, which are increasingly contingent on meeting certain volume threshold, becomes a problem when grocers over-rely on promotions. When grocers offer the same deals on the same items again and again, often on a predictable cycle, they train their customers to be cherry-pickers, which drives low-margin sales. In addition to discouraging full shops, excessive promotion also creates significant inefficiencies. Even for grocers content to make those trade-offs, the system as it functions today won’t even be an option in five years. Along with more vendor funding becoming performance-based, the rise of retail media networks means funding tied to physical stores will drop as more dollars shift to digital. What Comes Next Because hi-lo no longer serves grocers the way it once did and because it now poses considerable risks in addition to not yielding much reward, a new model is needed. On a spectrum that has hi-lo at one end and EDLP at the other, grocers should move toward a more centrist approach. This could be referred to as “everyday fair price,” a model in which everyday prices are close enough to competitors and promotions are focused on specific goals, like driving traffic or increasing trial of private brand items, rather than offered indiscriminately as a mechanism to paper over unreasonable everyday prices. Read more: Why Hi-Lo Pricing No Longer Works for Grocers or Customers | Progressive Grocer

Discount Retail Chain Lidl Polska is a socially responsible company, actively involved in activities for the benefit of employees, customers, suppliers, local communities, as well as the protection of the environment, climate and biodiversity. Its activities have a strong, positive impact on the national economy. The Lidl Polska chain not only develops the retail sector, but also has a significant impact on many other industries through the purchase of goods and services from Polish suppliers. Its operational activity translates into benefits for suppliers of goods and services, which strengthens many sectors of the Polish economy. "For 23 years, we have consistently pursued our mission, we have been offering customers across the country high-quality products at attractive, low prices, sustainably produced. We guarantee the same low prices in all our more than 900 stores. When planning further development, we focus on maintaining this standard. At the same time, we want to further develop cooperation with Polish suppliers and support the presence of their products on foreign markets. 2024 was a record year in terms of exports, the value of exported products of brands available only at Lidl amounted to nearly PLN 6.9 billion. Our activities also have a positive impact in the area of employment. In 2024, a total of over 57 thousand jobs were created and maintained thanks to it, both at Lidl Polska and at our suppliers and subcontractors. We carry out all our activities in the spirit of responsible business, taking care of local communities, biodiversity and the climate", says Włodzimierz Wlaźlak, President of the Management Board of Lidl Polska. Positive impact on the economy The operation of Lidl Polska stores in 2024 had a significant, positive impact on the domestic economy. In addition to everyday commercial activity, the development impulse was also created by the purchase of goods and services necessary for the maintenance of stores and employee expenses, which further fueled the economic circulation. The consulting company Deloitte estimated that in 2024, the operation of Lidl Polska stores generated over PLN 11.4 billion in added value (this is PLN 1.3 billion more than in 2023), of which PLN 6 billion was generated by the company itself, and PLN 5.4 billion by the suppliers of the Lidl Polska chain and thanks to salaries paid to employees. For comparison: EUR 11.4 billion is higher than the total expenditure of enterprises on fixed assets (e.g. investments in buildings and machinery) for environmental protection in Poland in 2023. Exports – another record set "The three key channels of Lidl Polska's impact, the development of the chain, serving customer demand and supporting the export of Polish products, remain the foundation of our business approach. For 23 years, we have had a positive impact on the national economy, creating jobs, developing cooperation with Polish suppliers and supporting local communities. In 2024, the total added value generated by the operation of Lidl Polska amounted to PLN 11.4 billion. As a chain, we have provided millions of consumers with access to products from Polish suppliers, which additionally generated PLN 21.5 billion in added value. Thanks to the links between individual branches of the economy, our activities generate results in many sectors, from financial, insurance and real estate services, through trade, hotel and catering, to transport, storage, recycling and municipal services. These broad impacts show that the influence of Lidl Polska goes far beyond retail", sums up Michał Nowaczyk, Member of the Management Board for Finance at Lidl Polska. The presence of the Lidl chain in 31 countries around the world makes it possible for Polish suppliers to sell their assortment on many foreign markets. Thanks to this, suppliers cooperating with Lidl Polska can increase their production, which entails an increase in employment and has a positive impact on the development of the Polish economy. In 2024 alone, more than 340 Polish suppliers exported their products to 28 foreign markets where Lidl is present. The value of these exports amounted to nearly PLN 6.9 billion. Over the last seven years (2018–2024), exports of Polish products through the international Lidl network have reached a value of over PLN 32 billion. The value of exports has been steadily growing for years, Lidl Polska intends to continue to promote and support the presence of Polish products on foreign markets. Sustainability – Climate Goals, Networks and Strategic Partnerships Lidl Polska also summed up its activities and commitments in the area of sustainable development, presenting the most important projects, partnerships and climate goals. Lidl aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 by setting ambitious new climate targets across its supply chain. The zero-emission policy is implemented, among m.in , through eco-construction, ecology, the development of electromobility and responsible purchasing policies. Lidl Polska implements the REset Plastic3 strategy. As part of it, the chain has committed private labels to reduce plastic consumption by 30% by 2025 and to use recyclate in packaging by an average of 25%. Plastic fruit and vegetable trays have already been replaced with recyclable, recycled or paper-based packaging where possible. The chain is also fully prepared to implement a deposit system, bottle vending machines are already available in all its over 900 stores, and an educational campaign has been underway for months to encourage customers to test them. This is another step towards a circular economy and real waste reduction. A responsible supply chain is also at the heart of Lidl's sustainability strategy. Each supplier signs a "Code of Conduct", committing to respect human rights, business ethics and environmental standards. Protecting biodiversity is an integral part of these efforts. Lidl Polska motivates suppliers to introduce practices that support the preservation of ecosystems, m.in . by limiting the use of plant protection products, caring for habitats and using certified raw materials (with m.in . Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, BIO, MSC, ASC, FSC markings). The company has been cooperating with the WWF Poland Foundation for years. Currently, as part of a three-year partnership, a project to protect biodiversity in the Baltic Sea region is being implemented. Lidl supports the WWF Blue Patrol, where 200 volunteers monitor beaches every day and work to protect several key species of Baltic mammals and birds. Educational activities aimed at local communities are also carried out. In 2024. Lidl and WWF have also initiated a global partnership in 31 countries of Lidl's operations to support sustainable consumer choices and responsible business models. Read more: Lidl generates billions of zlotys for the Polish economy - investmap.pl #smartdiscount #lidl #poland #expansion #growth #investment #economy #drc #discount #retail #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Discount Variety Retail Chain Action was purchased early last decade by Britain’s oldest private equity firm 3i, even those involved in the deal had little inkling it would become one of the most successful leveraged buyouts in history. One former executive who worked on the 2011 takeover of Action, which sells cheap products from towels to toilet cleaner out of retail parks, remembers looking around its warehouses and seeing piles of “very dusty old stock”. But the takeover of an unassuming chain of bargain stores has proved 3i’s redemption trade, rescuing a storied buyout firm from growing irrelevance after a painful restructuring and making eye-watering returns for its shareholders in the process. The firm, which in recent years has added to the majority stake it bought in 2011 for £114mio, now values its investment in the retailer at almost £15bn. Action has driven a more than 1,000%t rise in 3i’s shares as the retailer’s value has ballooned to account for 66% of the firm’s portfolio by value, and has returned at least £2.9bn in cash to its controlling shareholder. “It’s the gem in their portfolio,” said a former 3i partner. However, not everyone thinks the rally is deserved. ShadowFall, the hedge fund that shorted the now-defunct fraudulent German fintech Wirecard, has built a multimillion-pound position against the firm because it believes its valuation of Action is too high. The debate around Action’s valuation has underlined how 3i’s future, and that of its chief executive Simon Borrows, are intimately linked to the retailer’s success and raised questions over what the buyout firm might become, with or without its star asset. “Shareholders are now essentially buying 3i as a proxy for Action,” said Haley Tam, senior equity research analyst at UBS. 3i declined to comment. By the time Borrows was promoted from chief investment officer in 2012, the FTSE 100 company, which was founded in 1945 at the request of the UK government to support war-stricken businesses, had 124 investments in small to medium-sized companies and offices across the world. “When I first joined, 3i was completing a transaction every working day of the year,” said the former executive, who joined the firm in the 1990s. “It was just an extraordinary volume machine.” But Borrows, a former investment banker who advised on 3i’s initial public offering in 1994, whittled the group down, closing offices from Barcelona to Hong Kong, cutting more than a third of staff and restricting new deals to northern Europe, North America and, to a lesser extent, Brazil. Within three years the number of companies in 3i’s portfolio had almost halved to 65, with some sold at a loss, while the group’s credit business was sold in 2016. In 2015 Borrows put an end to third-party fundraising because the firm’s aim of investing in up to seven new targets a year left it with “no compulsion” to seek money from outside investors. Meanwhile 3i had been growing Action, which had operated 250 stores across the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany when the group bought it. Sales at the retailer, which now operates more than 2,300 stores in 12 European countries, rose from €1.2bn to more than €11bn in the decade to March 2023.  Action’s returns to the investment firm have largely been funded by the retailer taking on additional debt. The Financial Times reported this summer that 3i was set to receive another payout of at least €1.1bn as Action worked to raise new leveraged loans worth more than €2bn. 3i’s headquarters in London. 3i values its stake in Action at £14.8bn © Anna Gordon/FT The buyout group recently increased its stake in the retailer from 55 per cent to 58 per cent. Executives at 3i last year received £735mn in carried interest solely relating to the group’s investment in Action. Borrows, who does not receive carried interest, was paid more than £7.5mn in bonus and long-term incentives as well as a £700,000 salary for the financial year. 3i now values its stake in Action at £14.8bn. But Matthew Earl, managing partner of ShadowFall, told the FT he believed the implied Action valuation of 18.5 times operating earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation was too high. He added the price of 3i’s shares implicitly attached an even higher multiple to the retailer. Earl said he believed the retailer had benefited disproportionately from high inflation because it buys half its inventory months in advance, an advantage that would fade as price rises subsided. He also questioned how much the chain could further expand in France, a “saturated market”. Many remain bullish, and are not convinced by the thesis of ShadowFall’s short position. Clive Black, head of consumer research at Shore Capital, said Action was a “formidable business and it hasn’t gained the valuation it has through market manipulation, it has done it through exceptionally strong sequential growth”. The discount chain may have benefited from “a short-term tailwind in [profit] margins from inflation”, Black added, but “it’s not just Action, inflation has been everywhere, Action used it well”. Sales at Action rose from €1.2bn to more than €11bn in the decade to March 2023, which increased its price target for 3i days before ShadowFall’s position became public, subsequently argued that the valuation was “cheap when factoring in faster-than-peer growth” and that most of Action’s store growth was expected to be outside of France. But regardless of Action’s valuation, the more important question for some is what 3i’s purpose is, whether it keeps or exits the asset. Michael Sanderson, director in equity research at Barclays, said shareholders in 3i were “buying a business that is heavily exposed to Action’s development”, whereas 10 years ago it was “building value by . . . buying companies and growing them and selling them on after a short time period”. He was positive about 3i and Action overall, but added there were “undoubted questions about what the long-term plan is, given [Action] is such a large part of 3i right now” and that the retailer had “got to such a scale now, there are very few options” for exiting it. For the former 3i executive, the group’s non-Action portfolio “is now not of a scale that it probably survives on its own”. They added that 3i had “become a victim of Action’s success”. The need to diversify appears not to be lost on 3i, whose executives have pointed to other portfolio companies that could be their next success story. 3i designated Royal Sanders, a European producer of personal care products, to its “longer-term” assets last year. It has also highlighted Netherlands-based bread and snack producer, the European Bakery Group, as a strong performer in recent years. An Action store in Bruay-la-Buissière, northern France. A former 3i partner suggested the group would keep the chain ‘as long as they can’, but questioned just ‘how much of the juice is left’ in the retailer “A number of assets have the potential to become longer-term compounders like Action,” Borrows said in May. “We’ve obviously learned the benefits of holding things for longer,” he said last month, adding that the group’s 2015 sale of global material-testing laboratory network Element had been too early because it had “continued to grow significantly” since. The buyout group is also looking to make two or three investments a year in software and services companies, to add to an overall “non-Action portfolio” that it recently said had both strong and weak-performing assets. Despite Action’s continued growth, the former 3i partner suggested the group would keep Action “as long as they can”, but questioned just “how much of the juice is left” in the retailer. As for what the firm would be without Action, the person suggested 3i might regret selling the credit arm given the private debt market boom. “Simon’s probably looking at Action as his swan song,” they said. “After that he goes off. There isn’t anything else.” 3i still manages third-party capital in its infrastructure strategy but the former executive said the decision to stop raising more third-party funds in private equity might also hinder its pursuit of the next Action. “If you can’t raise third-party funds, it’s very difficult to be a private equity firm these days,” they said. Borrows has, however, pointed to the lack of pressure to return cash to external investors as a strength that will allow 3i to hold portfolio companies for longer. Some observers, though, do not hold much faith in it repeating its success with Action. “Being the next Action is really, really hard,” said Sanderson at Barclays, adding that the prospect of another investment doing as well was “almost impossible”. Read more: 3i searches for next ‘gem’ as short seller circles #smartdiscount #action #netherlands #3igroup #3i #hf #uk #expansion #growth #development #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google #privateequity #value #revenue #europe

Discount Retail Chain Aldi USA is planning 600 new stores in the USA by 2030, despite Donald Trump's trade war. While Aldi in Germany can hardly be distinguished from a classic supermarket in terms of price and appearance, the discounter is celebrating a surprising success in the USA as a low-cost supplier as in its early days. With affordable private labels, lean processes and a minimalist shopping experience, Aldi is apparently hitting the nerve of the times. In the past, the US branch of Aldi Süd in the USA was ridiculed for its spartan stores and the 25-cent coin for the shopping cart. Today, Aldi is one of the fastest-growing retailers in the country, with around 100 new stores per year, according to the "Grocery Report 2024" by real estate service provider JLL. In March, the discounter announced that it wanted to push ahead with expansion even faster. The goal is to become the third largest supermarket chain in the USA by the end of 2025 with 2600 stores - behind Walmart and Kroger. There are currently 2400 Aldi stores. American boss Jason Hart held out the prospect of another 600 stores for the next five years. In addition, there are even branches of Aldi Nord, which do not operate under the Aldi name in the USA. Aldi Nord has been operating the Trader Joe's chain since 1979. This raises questions for the German market. In the USA, Aldi relies on virtues that once made the discounter great in Germany: low prices, a clear assortment and efficient processes. Around 90 percent of the products are private labels, which can keep up with branded products in terms of quality, but are significantly cheaper. An example: While a pack of "Fruit Rounds" breakfast cereals costs 1.68 dollars at Aldi, the branded product "Froot Loops" costs 4.48 dollars. "Can't open the stores fast enough" The current economic conditions in the USA are benefiting Aldi. Food prices have risen by a good 20 percent in the past four years. Tariffs on imported goods such as fruit, vegetables and rice are driving up costs even more. While traditional supermarkets often pass these costs directly on to consumers, Aldi manages to keep prices stable or even lower them. For example, the discounter reduced prices for a quarter of its range in the summer of 2023. The market power of the food giant vis-à-vis the manufacturers is also likely to play a role. "After years of inflation, Americans' money is tight," the New York Times quotes the head of Aldi in the USA, Dave Rinaldo. "We are in a time when demand is so high that we literally can't open the stores fast enough." By concentrating on private labels, Aldi is well prepared for this development. Customers have to pack their purchases themselves and the goods are often presented directly in the boxes of the wholesale deliveries. These simple measures save costs. The stores themselves also contribute to the success. With an average area of 2000 square meters, they are significantly smaller than the often huge US supermarkets. This also saves costs and at the same time makes shopping clearer for customers. Instead of an overwhelming assortment of up to 30,000 items, as can be found in a typical American supermarket, Aldi offers a compact selection of an average of 1600 products, according to the "Economist". Lidl lags behind Aldi The fact that the basic idea of the German brothers Theo and Karl Albrecht, who founded Aldi in the 1950s, the world's first ever food discounter, is still a successful model, is also shown by the continuously increasing number of customers in the USA. According to an analysis by PlacerAI, Aldi recorded seven percent more customers in the first half of the year than in the previous year, while classic supermarkets had only 1.8 percent more. Is the German discounter conquering the American food market landscape with its concept, as the Wall Street Journal recently headlined? "Aldi has been active in the US market since the 1970s and is therefore no longer a 'flash in the pan', but a player to be taken seriously," says food retail expert Carsten Kortum. The special thing is that he "has developed a clearly defined, radically simple discount model at its core – and then adapts it to the conditions in the respective countries with astonishing flexibility depending on market conditions." While Aldi is taking off in the USA, the second major German discounter is struggling with challenges. "With only a little more than 190 stores, Lidl is significantly smaller than Aldi. Lidl is having a harder time, expansion has been more hesitant and some locations have even been abandoned," says Kortum, Professor of Business Administration and Food Retail at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University. The message that US consumers want a clear discount alternative to the classic supermarket has been received. In New York, Lidl advertises with the "Lidl-est prices", a play on words with the brand and the English word for the lowest prices. Nevertheless, the company, which positions itself between discounter and supermarket, remains a "big experiment with an unclear outcome" for the expert. If the turnaround does not succeed, he believes that an exit from the US market is even possible. Discount is not everything "hybrid formats" are the future The success of Aldi in the USA is also the result of a learning process, as Kortum emphasizes. Both chains had to learn in the USA "that the purely German discount approach does not automatically work there". Aldi has also invested in improving the appearance of its stores and food quality in recent years, with "more freshness, more brands and more convenience", i.e. processed foods that save time in preparation. The design of the stores is also more American today. Kortum therefore considers a return to the purist discounter of the 1970s to be unlikely for Germany. The wheel cannot be turned back, according to the expert. Over the years, customers in this country have learned to expect quality, organic products, regionality and brand diversity from discounters. The German market is extremely saturated, competition is intense and market shares are relatively fixed. Aldi and Lidl had to react: with more fresh food counters (without service), larger stores, private labels with premium standards, new convenience assortments and more modern store concepts.  In the expert's view, however, "hybrid formats" are conceivable in Germany in the future: "Aldi and Lidl could run smaller, highly price-oriented formats in parallel to their modernized stores, for example, for very price-sensitive target groups or in economically weaker regions." In a way, this is already visible in the test formats of the discounters: Lidl is testing non-food special formats and Aldi Süd is experimenting with city stores. The development towards "supermarket with discount DNA" is irreversible. "But selective returns to the hard price discount are possible, especially if the economy continues to weaken or certain customer groups pay more attention to the penny again." Read more: Warum Aldi trotz Trump die USA zum Wachtumsmarkt erklärt - Capital.de #smartdiscount #aldi #usa #expansion #jll #consumers #lidl #growth #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google

Online Retail Chain Meituan opened its first discount store in Hangzhou, China. The discount format has the brand name is "Happy Monkey". The Happy Monkey store covers an area of less than 1,000 square meters, and there are currently more than 1,000 cost-effective essential food products. According to the Qianjiang Evening News, Happy Monkey will take the opening of the first store as an opportunity to continue to optimize and build, and continue to meet the consumer needs of the community for three meals a day with high quality and deep discounts. On the same day, Alibaba's Hema Affordable Community Supermarket, Hema NB was officially renamed "Super Box NB", and a total of 17 Super Box NB were opened in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Shaoxing, Suzhou, Nantong and other places on the same day. "As of the end of August, the overall number of Superbox NB (including the original Hema NB stores that have been renamed) has approached 300." According to the person in charge of Hema, Hema NB has opened street-facing shops in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai residential communities in the past two years, with an area of 600 square meters or 800 square meters, which also serves three meals a day for families, and the business categories cover about 1,500 products in four categories: fresh, sustainable, standardised and frozen products. A person close to Hema told Phoenix WEEKLY Finance that NB's new format can be regarded as it has entered a mature stage from the incubation and cultivation period, and will enter a stage of rapid development as an independent brand. A day later, on August 30, JD.com opened four discount supermarkets in Suqian, Jiangsu Province at the same time, with four new stores covering an area of more than 5,000 square meters, covering more than 5,000 SKUs (the smallest unit for managing and tracking commodity inventory) such as daily necessities, fresh food, FMCG, and alcoholic beverages. The four JD discount supermarkets showed strong attraction on the first day of opening, receiving more than 300,000 customers in a single day, and launched flow restriction measures since opening at 9 a.m. and lasted until 0:30 a.m. At the same time, the popularity of discount supermarkets has also brought huge customer flow to shopping malls, and the four JD discount supermarkets have attracted more than 3 - 4 times the daily customer flow for their shopping malls. According to the person in charge of JD.com Discount Supermarket: "JD.com has not recently entered the hard discount track, as early as more than a year ago, JD Huaguan Discount Supermarket has carried out a pilot in Fangshan, Beijing, and opened two stores in Fangshan and Doudian, Beijing." Previously, the first store of JD Discount Supermarket in China opened in Zhuozhou, Hebei Province on August 16, which also triggered an offline consumption boom. For a time, the competition between Meituan, Alibaba, and JD.com, the three leading Internet companies, extended from takeaway to offline retail, and "hard discounts" would be the next outlet? It is a minimalist business that does not sell the deadline Speaking of "discount retail", the first thing that more consumers think of is discount stores such as Good Sale and Hi Special Purchase. Founded in 2020, Good Sale has achieved a magnificent turnaround from a start-up to an industry leader in just a few years. According to public information, as of July 2025, the number of its stores has exceeded 950, and its annual sales have soared 200 times to 10 billion yuan in three years. Zhang Ning, the founder of Good Sale, revealed to "Tianxia Netshang" in 2024 that 60% of the supply of Good Sale is tail goods, mainly from brands, first-level dealers or brand-designated dealers (tail products may have expiration problems), and the other 30% are some goods produced by surplus production capacity, packaging replacement, IP authorization expiration, etc., plus a small number of OEM products. Behind the rapid growth of good sales is the booming discount retail market According to the "2025 China Retail Industry Outlook", the size of China's hard discount market has exceeded 200 billion yuan in 2024. Looking at the world, data released by consulting firm Nielsen IQ shows that the incremental sales share of global discounted products will increase by $6.11 billion in 2024, and the global discount retail channel will increase by 8.2%, second only to social e-commerce (such as Douyin and Kuaishou) and discount e-commerce (such as Pinduoduo). "Traditional supermarket procurement is mainly through dealers and distributors. Under such a distribution system, a lot of commodity circulation costs have been increased, and after the middlemen have increased the price layer by layer, the pricing of the goods is higher, and a complex distribution relationship has also been formed. Bao Yuezhong, chairman of Baum Enterprise Management Consulting, mentioned that unlike "soft discounts" to achieve low prices through the sale of tail goods and expiring food, hard discounts are closely connected through supply chain optimization to achieve sustainable low prices. "We often talk about triple drive, that is, the actual cost of manufacturing may only account for about 30% of the price of goods." Marc Houppermans, executive partner at DRC Discount Retail Consulting GmbH and former Aldi manager revealed that most of the rest are occupied by advertising, endorsements and other expenses. Most consumers prefer to buy the product itself rather than the brand premium. Choosing to cooperate directly with manufacturers and eliminate intermediate price increases can achieve price breakthroughs under the premise of ensuring quality and complete the commercial closed loop of "de-premiumization". The person in charge of JD.com Discount Supermarket said that backed by JD.com's strong supply chain system, JD.com Discount Supermarket has achieved direct procurement and direct delivery of a variety of characteristic commodities, superimposed on the development of its own private label brands, and eliminated the premium of intermediate links to the greatest extent. Not only in the supply chain, but behind the ultra-high cost performance is the difference from the traditional minimalist business model. "In addition to optimizing the supply chain at the source of goods to reduce costs and lightweight packaging, the store also follows minimalism from the way employees work to the decoration style." The person in charge of Hema told Phoenix WEEKLY Finance that Hema has also effectively controlled costs through standardization, digitalization, and AI intelligence, and actively lowered gross profit, and finally presented customers with high-quality-price products. Hema NB's strategy of achieving lower prices through its own brand has begun to bear fruit. According to the financial report, Hema's GMV (total merchandise transaction value) in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 reached 75 billion yuan, achieving annual profit for the first time, of which fresh and NB formats contributed more than 80% of revenue. Competition is still outside the price This is not a business war with "low price" as the only criterion, in DRC Discount Retail Consulting executive partner William Snollaerts view, this is a comprehensive test of merchants' ability to select and control products, supply chain capabilities and service capabilities. In fact, in 2024, Hema NB has competed with German hard discount retail company Aldi in the Shanghai community discount track. Aldi focuses on the advantages of business districts, minimalist SKUs and supply chains, while Hema NB relies more on residential concentration areas, category diversification and big data technology advantages. The interview with "Phoenix WEEKLY Finance" found that at present, Happy Monkey, Super Box NB, and JD.com Discount Supermarket all adhere to "high quality and low price", and the target population covers migrant workers, young people, the elderly and small families. "This strategic positioning is more suitable for contemporary Chinese families, that is, the scale is getting smaller, the mainstream family structure of three has weakened the dependence on large-sized goods, and the Chinese people have always preferred fresh ingredients and have fewer hoarding habits." The person in charge of a traditional supermarket told Phoenix WEEKLY Finance that from the current point of view, the three have certain differences in business positioning. Super Box NB has about 1000 - 1500 SKUs, and the business area is controlled at 1000 square meters, continuing the previous style of play, which belongs to small and medium-sized supermarkets; JD Discount Supermarket focuses on "large store type and multiple SKUs", with a business area of more than 5,000 square meters and more than 5,000 SKUs. "Compared with the scale of traditional supermarkets of tens of thousands of products, they all maintain the ultimate restraint." In the view of the person in charge of the above-mentioned traditional supermarket, the above-mentioned three, or the same as the previous community hard discount retail play, while maintaining the stability of core products, through quarterly updates of basic models and seasonal new products, to achieve a dynamic balance of the commodity structure. "For e-commerce platforms, opening offline discount stores can help increase new channels to reach consumers." William Snollaerts said that the supply chain, brand, and data advantages of e-commerce platforms are what traditional supermarkets need to catch up, "Relying on the massive data accumulated online, e-commerce platforms can more accurately analyse the needs of regional consumers, so as to support the accurate selection of products and rapid product iteration of offline stores." ” Marc Houppermans said that relying on data technology to accurately predict consumer demand, optimize inventory management, reduce losses, and rely on strong cold chain distribution capabilities to achieve efficient circulation of fresh goods. It is worth noting that the hard discount track is on the rise, not only on e-commerce platforms, but also on traditional retail represented by Wumart is also turning to hard discount formats. "The key to the 'hand-to-hand combat' of the community discount business is who can better balance cost, efficiency and consumer experience." The above-mentioned person close to Hema told Phoenix WEEKLY Finance that it is difficult to say who is "dominant" at present, or will jointly promote hard discount retail into a new stage. Read more: Meituan, Alibaba, and JD.com 's "war" has been upgraded to -36 Kr #smartdiscount #china #expansion #asia #growth #hd #harddiscount #hema #jdcom #jd #happymonkey #jddiscount #superboxnb #nb #meituan #aldi #pinduoduo #Douyin #Kuaishou #wumart #phoenix #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #google #GoodSale #HiSpecialPurchase