Discount Textile Retail Chain Pepco Group (owned by WSE listed Pepco Group) has updated its strategy for the coming years. Its key area will be to rebuild the profitability of its core business in Central and Eastern Europe. Pepco plans to take a more disciplined approach to expansion in existing markets and open at least 400 new stores in FY 2024 vs. 668 in 2023. Pepco Group, the fast-growing discount retailer that owns the Pepco and Dealz brands in Europe and Poundland in the UK, is hosting a presentation to investors today on the occasion of Capital Markets Day. At the event, the Group's Executive Chairman, Andy Bond, will provide an update on the Group's strategy and key areas of focus in the near term. Poland remains a key market for Pepco The company has already signalled the main assumptions of this strategy. These include, m.in, the restoration of the profitability of Pepco's core business in Central and Eastern Europe and a more disciplined approach to growth and capital expenditures across the Group. Pepco Group has announced preliminary plans to open at least 400 net new stores in fiscal 2024 (compared to 668 in fiscal 2023). The Group will also look at its store renewal program in Central and Eastern Europe and announce improvements in cash generation and a review of capital allocation. Pepco wants to strengthen its position in key markets (UK, Poland), as well as increase the scale of its operations in Italy and Spain. "We need to refocus on delivering more measurable growth, investing less to achieve more, with a greater focus on improving profitability and generating cash. Opportunities remain large and we will try to take advantage of them in a more targeted way. Regardless of the challenging market environment, the Group has a market-leading offer for customers and stable cash flows from operating activities. This reassures me of continued success across Europe," said Andy Bond, Pepco's Executive Chairman. Read more: Pepco will open about 400 stores in the coming financial year (dlahandlu.pl)

Discount Retail Chain Lidl Netherlands (owned by the German Schwarz Group) started to test the refill of reusable packaging with Lidl's own private label brand 'Formil' detergent in a dozen of Lidl stores. A nice sustainable and innovative step where we help customers to use less plastic and thereby encourage them to take their reusable packaging back with them! As a customer, thanks to the refill station, you not only save plastic, but it also provides an advantage in the wallet. On each refill, the customer receives a discount compared to the first purchase. Lidl Netherlands in well aware of its responsibility in the field of plastic reduction. That is why Lidl has set itself the goal of reducing the plastic consumption of its own private label brand packaging by 2030 by 25%. Read more: Lidl Netherlands

Discount Retail Chain Pobeda opened in September 2023, twenty-four new stores of the retail chain began operating in the Ryazan, Moscow, Samara, Volgograd, Rostov, Lipetsk, Arkhangelsk regions, the republics of Tatarstan, Chuvashia, Bashkortostan and the Krasnodar Territory. The distinctive features of the Pobeda discount store network business model remain unchanged from region to region, this is work directly with federal and local manufacturers, display of goods in their original packaging, simple and modern design of the sales floor, optimized (store) staff, when an employee combines several functions. All this allows you to set fair prices every day, without commodity promotions and discounts. At the same time, the company strictly monitors the maintenance of high-quality products at all stages: from production to store. Pobeda has more than 500 stores in the Southern, Central, North Caucasus and Volga Federal Districts in more than 300 cities in 30 regions, with 5 logistics centers and an our own fleet of trucks, more than 8,000 employees. Read more:

Discount Retail Chain Aldi Spain proclaimed September 19th as the new official private label day, to celebrate their success and to thank all customers for their trust. As top in quality and variety, but cheap and tasty! With Aldi’s private label brands, good quality is affordable for everyone. As a retailer of basic goods, private labels are part of our DNA. On this day, Aldi Spain held a roundtable discussion in Barcelona “Inflation and new purchasing habits: the role of own brands in the distribution sector”, moderated by Laura Cristóbal Gracia, Director of EFEAgro. Atteendees were Iñigo Fika, Vice-CEO Aldi Spain, Bernado Rodilla, Director of the Oil & Retail Sector at Worldpanel by Kantar, and economist and writer Fernando Trias de Bes. Together they analysed the causes and impact of the upward trend on consumption of private label products. Spanish shopping habits During the round table discussion, key conclusions of the third edition of Aldi Spain’s national own brand study were shared. For example, 61% of the Spanish population has increased the consumption of private labels since 2020. In addition, three out of ten Spaniards are convinced that more than 75% of the products in their shopping baskets are private label products. Even more reason to celebrate our private labels. “At Aldi we analyse all the processes throughout the value chain. Thanks to that, we can keep prices low”, says Iñigo Fika, Vice-CEO Aldi Spain. Aldi Spain loves their private labels because ... … they represent 86% of the product offering. …9 out of 10 products at ALDI Spain belong to our private label brands. …our private label products are key purchasing differentiators for consumers. Read more:

The Egyptian hard-discount chain Kazyon is inaugurating its first store in Mohammedia, Casablanca area on Saturday 14 October. About 40 stores more have been planned to open thsi year. Kazyon is one of the largest discount supermarket chains based in Egypt. "This is a 100% subsidiary of Kazyon Limited UK. Egypt is a sister subsidiary," founded in 2014. The group has more than 700 stores in Egypt. The discounter successfully raised $165 million in April 2023 to accelerate its expansion into the African continent. Source: Infomediaire

Aldi is launching its latest round of price cuts on a wide range of items as it looks to continue providing value for customers. The price drops from Britain’s fourth largest supermarket will see almost 50 products falling in price by an average of around 7%. From next week, shoppers will be able to enjoy lower prices on items such as cheese, butter and poultry, as well as on a range of cleaning products and household essentials. The move is the latest of more than 200 price cuts that Aldi has made in recent months in an effort to further support customers during the cost-of-living crisis, such as last month with its fruit and veg price cuts. Managing director of Buying at Aldi UK, Julie Ashfield said: “We will always stand by our promise to keep our prices as low as possible for customers and this latest round of price cuts proves just that. “That promise applies to everything from household essentials to high-quality groceries, all of which we want to make accessible to everyone, and it’s why we continue to see shoppers switch to Aldi.” The news comes as Aldi is looking to recruit 3,000 new store workers ahead of the Christmas period to help replenish stock and provide assistance to customers. Source: Grocery Gazette

Lidl was the fastest growing retailer in September with sales up 15.2% and a market share of 7.65%, up 0.5% year on year. According to the latest data from Kantar, rival discounter Aldi’s sales rose by 14.9% as its total market share was up 0.6% to 9.9%. Of the traditional grocers, Tesco has been driving the increase in the amount of money spent on offers with its Clubcard Prices promotions, as sales rose by 9.2% over the last 12 weeks. The leading retailer’s market share has edged up 0.4% and now stands at 27.4%. Sainsbury’s saw sales increase by 9.1% compared with last year growing its share to 14.8%, while Asda and Morrisons now hold 13.7% and 8.6% of the market, respectively. Grocery market share at Waitrose now stands at 4.6%, with total online trips having increased year-on-year at the upmarket retailer for the first time since December 2021 by 3.1%. This comes as grocery price inflation has fallen to its lowest level in over a year to 11%, marking the seventh consecutive month of decline. Kantar found that take-home grocery sales for the four weeks to 1 October 2023 rose by 9.1%, compared with last year. Source: Grocery Gazette

Discount Retail Chain BİM Birleşik Mağazalar A.Ş. (listed BIST: BIMAS) announced that it will continue to support the fight against inflation by offering discounts of up to 500 percent on 50 products in October. BİM continues to support the fight against inflation while delivering high-quality products to its customers at affordable prices with discounts on many products. BİM will offer discounts of up to 500 percent on 50 products in October. In the statement made by BİM on the subject, the following views were included: "As BİM, we are aware of our weight in the market and the responsibilities that come with it. In this context, we focus on adding value to all our stakeholders, especially our people. While we will support our country's fight against inflation with the discounts we will make throughout October, we will also facilitate our customers' access to basic products. We will maintain our principle of not increasing product prices unless there is an increase in product costs, with the same determination as on the first day we were founded." #smartdiscount #turkey #bim #drc #discount #retail #consulting #discountretail #discountretailconsulting #retailconsulting #inflation #pricing #assortment #reduction

Since January 2023, Pobeda has introduced a new corporate identity, which has affected the entire visual component: advertising communications, checkout areas, and store facades. By October 12, almost half of the chain's discounters, which includes more than 500 outlets, are working in the current design. The main element of the new identity is a striped green-red background, which is used both as a substrate for the sign and as a pattern for different media. The style is supported by large typography, stencil style, arrows and icons, which are often used in the logistics industry. The company's analysts conducted an initial survey in order to find out the perception of customers about changes in the exterior and interior of stores, 860 people were interviewed. The vast majority (98%) liked the new design, 80% noted that shopping became more comfortable. 67% paid attention to the navigation in the store. The restyling of stores with the old design will continue until the end of 2024, and the company will open new stores immediately in a new corporate style. Source: Подробнее на Retail.ru: https://www.retail.ru/news/set-diskaunterov-pobeda-obnovila-bolee-220-magazinov-seti/

Discount Retail Chain BİM Birleşik Mağazalar A.Ş. (listed BIST: BIMAS) announced that it will continue to support the fight against inflation by offering discounts of up to 500 percent on 50 products in October. BİM continues to support the fight against inflation while delivering high-quality products to its customers at affordable prices with discounts on many products. BİM will offer discounts of up to 500 percent on 50 products in October. In the statement made by BİM on the subject, the following views were included: "As BİM, we are aware of our weight in the market and the responsibilities that come with it. In this context, we focus on adding value to all our stakeholders, especially our people. While we will support our country's fight against inflation with the discounts we will make throughout October, we will also facilitate our customers' access to basic products. We will maintain our principle of not increasing product prices unless there is an increase in product costs, with the same determination as on the first day we were founded."

Discount Retail Chain Aldi Belgium, started a year ago with the milk packaging of Aldi's own private label brand 'Milsa' have a QR code that leads you to the digital advertising brochure. According to Aldi, the project is so successful that the supermarket now also puts the codes on other products, on the shopping cart and the receipt. In the meantime, the paper leaflet will continue to exist. "Market research tells us that Belgians are open to consulting digital leaflets, but find the road to them complex," says Isabel Henderick, Managing Director Marketing & Communication at Aldi. That is why the supermarket put a QR code on all milk briquettes of its own private label brand last year that leads you to the folder. And that has not missed its purpose: "We saw in the past year that our digital leaflet was consulted more often. Compared to a year ago, that increased by 15 percent." That is why Aldi is now going to put the QR code on other products as well. Cheese, sandwiches and bread bags First comes hazelnut spread, later packaging with cheese and sandwiches. All products that sell well at Aldi and are therefore regularly on the kitchen table with some families. In addition to the product packaging, the QR code also appears on the shopping cart, the receipt, the bread bags and the bags for fruit and vegetables. The paper leaflet will continue to exist For the sake of clarity, the paper leaflet will remain. "To date, the paper leaflet is one of the most effective ways to reach Belgian households directly," says Henderick. "The purpose of this application to our product packaging is to further increase the reach of the digital brochure, but of course consumer behaviour must also evolve along with this. That takes time". Read more: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2023/10/11/wil-je-de-digitale-reclamefolder-van-aldi-lezen-scan-dan-de-ver/

Discount Retail Chain A101 (owned by the Turkish Aydın Grup), one of Türkiye's leading discount retail brands (next to BIM, Sok and Hakmar), continues to support the fight against inflation. In the statement made by A101 on the subject, "The main mission of A101 is to offer quality products to its customers at the cheapest price and has been acting with this mission since its establishment. In addition to the cheapest prices, A101 will discount up to 50% on at least a 1,000 products every day throughout the year. A101 will continue to stand by the consumer in the fight against inflation by making regular discounts in all product categories that our people need in addition to its campaigns identified with itself.