Discount Retail Chain Lidl Germany (owned by Schwarz Group) is undertaking a reorganisation of its management structure in Germany, as it seeks to speed-up decision making and streamline operations, according to reports. Newspaper Handelsblatt reported that Christian Härtnagel, head of Lidl Germany, will remain in his position, but has been assigned a deputy, Jan Bock, who previously held the role of head of purchasing at Lidl International. Elsewhere, a former Lidl executive, Arnd Pickardt, who left the discounter for Tchibo in 2018, has been named a new member of Lidl's management board. Regional Management Structure In terms of regional management, instead of six managing directors covering Germany, Lidl will have two going forward, Andreas Liepka, who will be in charge of the north region, and Christian Steimle, who will be in charge of the south region, joining the group from Lidl Switzerland. Three managers are stepping down from their roles, Dominika Kubisch, who held a senior purchasing role, Maximilian Wiedmann from the group's real estate arm and Benny Klein, a regional manager. According to the group, these will be assigned new roles within the company. 'Streamline Structures' With these changes, Lidl is taking "consistent steps to shorten decision-making processes, streamline structures and processes and align the company as a whole for the future", Härtnagel was quoted by Handelsblatt as saying. Härtnagel added that the German market is now largely "saturated", however a few geographical opportunities are still evident, and the Schwarz Group-owned discounter plans to open around ten to 15 new stores in Germany per year. Read more: Lidl Reorganises Management Structure In Germany | ESM Magazine

Discount Retail Chain Aldi UK has followed Sainsbury’s in cutting milk prices as part of a major multi-million pound investment in milk. From today, the discount grocer will lower the price of a four-pint bottle of milk by 10p, from £1.55 to £1.45, marking the first time the price has fallen below £1.50 since September 2022. Two-pint bottles will also see a reduction from £1.25 to £1.20, while six-pint milk will be dropped in price from £2.30 to £2.15. This comes as Sainsbury’s has launched a second round of price cuts across its own-brand milk range, with four-pints dropping to £1.45 and two-pints reduced to £1.20. Aldi confirmed the reductions have no impact on the price paid to farmers. Aldi UK managing director of buying Julie Ashfield said: “Aldi has consistently been named by Which? as the UK’s cheapest supermarket and shoppers are switching to Aldi from every other supermarket as they look to save money. “Shoppers are having to make hard choices about how to spend their money at the moment, which is why we are investing in the price of key everyday items to help customers manage their finances.” In the past two months, the discounter has cut the price of more than 70 products, including household staples such as tricolore pasta, honey and straight-cut chips. Read more: Aldi slashes milk prices in multi-million pound investment - Grocery Gazette - Latest Grocery Industry News

Discount Retail Chain Aldi Spain promotes proximity in the Valencian Community. Since 2020, the discounter has increased the sale of local products by 25%, whose assortment includes tigernut horchata, wines with Denomination of Origin in the region, rice or Valencian muffins, among other references. Currently, Aldi works with 60 suppliers in the Valencian Community and offers more than 320 locally sourced products in its 67 stores in the region, as well as in some of its more than 400 supermarkets in Spain. During the first half of the year, the discounter has added three new stores in the Valencian Community, the third region of the country where more stores operate. In just under two months, the company celebrated new openings in Valencia city (March 22), Villarreal (April 19) and Alzira (April 26). "This growth strengthens the strategic position of the Valencian region within Aldi's expansion plans, with which it plans to continue expanding its presence in the area in the coming months," confirms the company. Aldi offers in all its stores in Valencia an assortment of more than 2,000 products, 86% own brand and 80% of national origin. This assortment is complemented by bi-weekly WIGIG offers and promotions on commodities in the shopping cart and other customer favorites. Read more: Aldi boosts proximity (revistainforetail.com)

Discount Retail Chain Aldi USA reopened two long-time locations in Illinois and Ohio and will welcome shoppers back to their stores following the completion of remodeling store projects. At the opening shoppers at both stores will receive a gift card as part of the Aldi Golden Ticket gift card giveaway program. They can also enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a $500 Aldi gift card during the reopening weekend from June 29 through July 2. The updated stores provide an improved layout and ample refrigeration to accommodate an expanded fresh food selection. It also features open ceilings and natural lighting, and it is built with environmentally friendly materials. Like all Aldi stores, the remodeled Westlake and Bellwood locations still offer a streamlined shopping experience and low prices in every aisle, but customers will notice the elevated design. “We have invested in remodeling our stores to ensure they are designed to make grocery shopping smarter, faster and easier,” said Corey Stucker, Hinckley regional vice president for Aldi. “With the updated Westlake store, shoppers will notice a new look with more fresh and convenient items at the reliably low prices Aldi fans rave about.” Read more: Aldi to Reopen 2 Refurbished Locations | Store Brands

Discount Retail Chain Lidl Sweden's (owned by the German Schwarz Group) financial statements for the last financial year, 1 March 2022 – 28 February 2023, are now ready. Net sales increased by SEK 2.5 billion, from SEK 14.2 billion to SEK 16.7 billion. Which is an increase of almost 18 percent (compared to the 7 percent increase the previous year). "In 2022/23, we had the largest increase in turnover in eight years. We doubled our growth rate compared to last year. And growing significantly faster than the rest of the market. It shows that consumers appreciate our work to offer food of the highest quality at the best price in the industry and is at the same time a good tribute to our employees and our business model," says Jakob Josefsson, Country Manager Lidl Sweden. Lidl Sweden is growing more than twice faster than the rest of the market, i.e. 18 percent compared to 6.8 percent. This is the sixth year in a row that Lidl Sweden is growing faster than the rest of the industry. Now the company has doubled its turnover in 7 years. Growth is mainly driven by organic growth with more customers in the existing stores, during the business year Lidl grew with another store. Lidl Sweden currently has 205 stores. Profit improved from a loss of SEK 132 million to a loss of SEK 19 million in 2022/23. The number of employees increased from 3,560 to 3,701. "The trend we have seen in recent years where more consumers are breaking their habits and routines has accelerated during the autumn and winter. In recent months, we have seen a fantastic influx of new customers to our stores. Our initiative to curb price increases and contribute to reduced pressure on Swedish households' wallets was well received, continues Jakob Josefsson. Lidl Sweden has a clear ambition to grow. Recently, the company published a list of 91 cities where they want to establish themselves in the coming years. The long-term goal is for the food chain to have 300 stores. During the spring, the new brand Matriket was introduced. Under Matriket, Lidl Sweden now collects all its own products that have the "From Sweden" label. This means that they are grown, produced, born and bred in Sweden. Here you will find dairy products, cereals, bread, vegetables and charcuterie. In the long term, Matriket will contain over 250 products, which makes the brand the one with the most products with the "From Sweden" label in the country. Read more: Record year – Lidl Sweden grew by 18 per cent in 2022/23 | Lidl Sweden (tt.se)

Discount Retail Chain Netto Brand-Discount (owned by the German EDEKA Group) is now demonstrating its special appreciation for fruit and vegetable products and local agriculture on all channels, with an extensive campaign based on 'Affordable, regional, transparent'. Summertime is harvest time. This also applies to the approximately 350 farmers whose fruit and vegetable products are sold in the local Netto stores. The fresh products from the region are recognizable, for example, by the logo of Netto's own brand HOME (in German: HEIMAT). In addition to farms, more than 84 percent of all consumers benefit from these regional partnerships, for whom the regional origin of fruit and vegetables is particularly important, according to a recent survey.* At the same time, the environment is protected by the shorter transport routes. *BMEL Foodreport 2022 "With up to 60 different regional fruit and vegetable products seasonally, we offer probably the largest selection in the discount sector. With the regional partnerships, we are strengthening medium-sized, family-run businesses and at the same time meeting consumer demand for regional food," says Christina Stylianou, Head of Corporate Communications Netto. Netto attaches great importance to transparency: For this reason, an additional QR code on all packaged fruit and vegetable products of its own brands leads to information about the producer and other product details on the Netto website. Fresh regional products: Promoting German agriculture In addition to a prominently placed TV spot around the "carrot superstar" farmer Hansen, the regionality campaign, which will start in calendar week 26, will be communicated via the flyers, the Netto app, various advertising materials at the POS such as displays or posters, online communication as well as via the Netto website and PR measures. The campaign will also be extended via various social media activities, for example as part of the "Healthy Nutrition" campaign on TikTok or via Netto's own Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest channels. These measures are being implemented together with the Hamburg-based creative agency Jung von Matt. In addition to the communication of regional products and attractive offers, the aim of the campaign is to show a high appreciation of the performance of local farmers. Netto has been supporting German agriculture for many years, also with its "A hart for the maker" (in German "Ein Herz für Erzeuger") initiative: Since the launch of the "Ein Herz für Erzeuger" initiative in 2008, the food retailer has supported the participating farms together with customers with a total of almost 42 million euros. In addition to fruit and vegetables, the "Ein Herz für Erzeuger" range with the green heart logo also includes dairy products, eggs and meat and sausage products from Germany. In addition, Netto works with numerous other regional partners in all product areas, such as bakeries, breweries and mineral springs. Read more: Netto Marken-Discount campaign celebrates products from the region ‹ Fruchtportal

Discount Variety Retail Chain Poundland (owned by Pepco Group) has revealed that it is accelerating its grocery rollout in its UK stores, which includes chilled, frozen, fresh fruit and veg as well as beers, wines and spirits. In time for one of the warmest months of the year, frozen and chilled food will now be going into 24 more stores, bringing the total number of stores offering the ranges to over 570. As it looks to become more of a one-stop shop, the discount retailer is also key fresh fruit and vegetables to more stores, with bananas, apples, carrots and soft fruit already available in over 400 stores and another 50 stores in July. The move further strengthens the Poundland’s range revolution that’s taken place over the last three years, as it adds new categories such as clothing, homewares, and chilled and frozen food to offer customers an alternative to supermarkets. Poundland is now on track to add over half a million square feet of new space this financial year as it opens and relocates stores. In the current financial year it has already opened and relocated 33 stores and expects to have opened over 50 by the end of September. Poundland’s retail director, Darren Kay said: “We’re quietly widening what we offer customers, day-by-day and store-by-store, because we know customers appreciate the convenience of shopping with Poundland for much more of what they need week-in, week-out.” He added: “Whether it’s a Poundland on a high street, in a shopping centre or on a retail park, we’re investing in our stores, our ranges and our stores to make them real destinations for our customers –all with the amazing value we promise ” In March, Poundland launched a new price comparison campaign against Asda, Morrisons and Wilko’s prices, as it looked to solidify itself within the grocery space. Read more: Poundland expands grocery offering with fruit, frozen food and alcohol - Grocery Gazette - Latest Grocery Industry News

Discount Retail Chain Lidl Ireland (owned by the German Schwarz Group) has joined forces with innovative out-of-home self-service parcel locker provider OOHPod. The move will offer consumers the convenience of picking up or returning their online purchases at the same time as their regular shop. The strategic partnership with OOHPod and Lidl Ireland will see the discounter roll out the lockers to stores nationwide in the months ahead, simplifying online shopping for customers. Lidl Ireland noted that the lockers are open 24/7, providing shoppers with added peace of mind by offering them the option of having their purchases dropped safely and securely out of home, to avoid the risk of missed deliveries. Avril O’Hehir, chief administration officer at Lidl Ireland, said, “With simplicity and convenience at the heart of both our business models, OOHPod’s parcel lockers will offer safe storage at the point of delivery across our local store network, making Lidl Ireland a one-stop shop for all of your shopping needs.” More Flexibility OOHPod is the brainchild of parcel delivery specialist John Tuohy, who launched the service in the Republic of Ireland in 2021, in a bid to provide shoppers with more flexibility in how they receive their online goods. Customers using the OOHPod service can have their parcels delivered by any online store or carrier to a local Lidl store where OOHPod self-service lockers are available, the retailer explained. Major courier UPS is fully integrated with OOHPod, allowing customers pick up and drop off UPS parcels by selecting the service through the latter’s website. OOHPod CEO Tuohy commented, ”OOHPod parcel lockers are designed with convenience and security in mind, and, unlike other providers, our open-network model means consumers can shop anywhere and have their parcels delivered straight to an OOHPod locker – no matter who the delivery provider is.” Locations OOHPod parcel lockers are currently in place at Lidl Ireland stores in Tyrrellstown, Charleville, Mitchelstown, Ballyvolane, Ballincollig, Bandon, Mallow, Cornmarket, Wilton, Dunshaughlin and Navan, with additional lockers being rolled out at further sites nationwide. With a number of payment options from which to choose, customers can opt to pay as they go by registering a payment method and only pay each time that a parcel arrives. For regular customers, there are two discounted subscription bundles available. The cost for a standard monthly subscription is €8.85, whereby customers can have three uses of a locker for a 48-hour period each time. A €19.50-per-month premium subscription gives ten uses of a locker per month, for a 48-hour period each time. Read more: Lidl Joins Forces With Out-Of-Home Parcel Locker Provider OOHPod | Checkout

Own brand products, also known as "white label", already reign in the shopping baskets of Spaniards. According to the latest study on the subject of the German supermarket chain Aldi, the purchase of this type of references has grown more than three percentage points this year, already standing at 53.5% when in 2021 it did not even reach 50%. The pressure of inflation on the pockets of families, whose purchasing power has decreased significantly in recent months, is the main reason for the significant growth of these products. Its lower price is the main reason that explains the increase in the purchase of own brand references, as stated by 66% of those consulted by Aldi. The best value for money (50%), as well as the fact that there is a greater number and variety of own brand products in supermarkets in recent years (41%), are other keys that explain its progress in recent years. More spending The fact that Spaniards are throwing more and more own-brand products in their shopping baskets has also led to an increase in spending on them to represent 43.5% of their total budget, 1.5 percentage points more than in 2022 and 3.4 points more than in 2021. The rise in food prices, which have soared more than 40% since Pedro Sánchez governs, has led more and more families to opt for the white label to save on their purchases. Aldi has found that 46% of Spaniards declare that they have increased the consumption of private label products compared to 2022, which represents an increase of 15 percentage points compared to 2022 and 2021. By categories, the most demanded private label products are frozen fruit and vegetables (85.3%), followed by eggs (80.4%), refrigerated beverages (80.1%), cellulose articles (76.8%) and cloths and cloths (74.3%). The private label has gained market share in eight out of ten product categories, especially in charcuterie, baby products and sparkling wines, according to the Aldi survey. The German company is one of the most assorted of own brand has on its shelves. In fact, according to data from Kantar Worldpanel, it has contributed 10.3% to the growth in volume of the own brand during the last three years. Upward trend The rise of the private label has been important since last year. In the middle of the year, not only the Aldi study, but also another by Nielsen (43%) and another by EAE Business School (46%) already indicated that its market share had exceeded 40%. This same year, the consultant Oliver Wyman, in a study carried out in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Holland, Austria and Spain; places Spaniards as the Europeans who are most committed to private label, with more than 54% buying it to a greater extent to deal with inflationary tensions, despite the fact that six out of 10 respondents consider that private label products have become more expensive in a similar way to traditional commercial brands. Kantar has also found that the strategy of the supermarket chains themselves is to strengthen their own brands in line with what many of their customers demand to cope with the increase in prices. The search for promotions or offers are other strategies now used more profusely by Spaniards to cheapen the shopping cart. Read more: Spaniards already buy more than 50% of private label supermarket products (larazon.es)

Discount Retail Chain Aldi Nord (German family owned) the parent company of the brand in Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Poland, (excluding Trader Joe's) has turned-over € 27 billion euros in 2022, which represents an increase of 9.3% compared to the previous year (€ 24,7 billion). In this way, the company almost quintuples its growth rate in the last 12 months, going from a year-on-year increase of 2% in 2021 to this rebound of 9.3% in 2022. This is reflected in Aldi's 2022 Monitoring Sustainability Report, consulted by infoRETAIL, which highlights the importance of the Spanish market in Aldi Nord's business. In terms of number of stores, Spain closed last year with 394 establishments of the German discounter, 37 more than in 2021 (+10.4%). The countries with the largest Aldi Nord store networks are Germany (2,201), France (1,321), the Netherlands (488) and Belgium-Luxembourg (465). In addition, its workforce has also grown by double digits (+10.2%) in Spain, to 6,544 workers. As in the previous case, Spain repeats fifth position within the matrix, surpassed by Germany (40,047), France (15,756), the Netherlands (10,805) and Belgium-Luxembourg (8,479). In total, as of December 31, 2022, Aldi Nord had 5,430 points of sale and 91,799 employees, representing increases of 1.9% and 5.6%, respectively. In terms of assortment, Aldi has reduced the assortment in Spain by 5.6% in 2022, to 2,648 references. However, the country remains the one with the highest supply, with about 250 SKUs more than its immediate pursuer (France, with 2,407). Likewise, the Spanish stores of the chain have reduced the proportion of their own brand in the total offer (3.6 percentage points), with a share of 79.8%, the third lowest of the company, after Poland (56.9%) and Denmark (65.4%). Aldi Nord has increased its catalogue of references by 7%, from 1,875 to 2,006 products in one year. In this section, Spain achieves a qualitative leap, placing itself in first position with an offer of 2,806 references, almost 650 more than its immediate pursuer: Germany, with 2,165. In fact, Aldi Spain has increased its assortment by 13.5% in the last year, while reducing the presence of the own brand by almost 2.5 percentage points, going from a share of the total references of 85.8% to 83.4%. In this sense, the Spanish market is in fourth position in the ranking of introduction of own brand in the assortment, behind the Netherlands (90.6%), Belgium-Luxembourg (89.2%) and France (87.7%). Renewable energies The report also reveals that Aldi has more than 37,400 photovoltaic panels installed on the roofs of its stores and distribution centers, which generate energy for its own consumption and for the grid. This figure comes after having installed, during 2022, more than 19,200 modules to its network. "All our distribution centers where it is possible to install solar panels have this type of technology and, currently, there are already 188 establishments that have this system. In fact, in 2022, we produced more than 13 million kWh for internal use, 134% more than in 2021," explains Real Estate and Expansion Managing Director, David Carim. Since 2018, 100% of the energy acquired by Aldi in Spain is of renewable origin and, since 2016, all the company's new establishments in Spain use LED lighting. In addition, whenever possible, it uses carbon dioxide as a natural refrigerant gas, a more sustainable alternative to other options available on the market. In terms of circularity, the Aldi Nord group has achieved that 67% of its own brand packaging is already recyclable, which has saved more than 83,000 tons of packaging material thanks to the reduction or elimination of packaging. In addition, the amount of virgin plastic in MDD packaging has been reduced by 11% compared to 2020. "We optimize store orders with a daily inventory of product adapted to the demand and consumption needs of customers, apply a 30% discount on certain items with an upcoming expiration date and ensure local donations of products that cannot be for sale but are still fit for consumption," recalls the CEO of Aldi Spain, Valentín Lumbreras. "Specifically, thanks to all these actions, at Aldi we have managed to avoid the waste of more than 6,595 tons of food during 2022, 5,994 only with the measure of the 30% discount," he remarks. Certificates With regard to animal welfare, more than 80% of fresh products of chicken, turkey, rabbit, Iberian and white layer pork, organic beef, milk and eggs have the seal of animal welfare in Spain. In addition, since 2018 all fresh eggs come from cage-free hens and has a commitment that 100% of its processed products containing eggs will also be so by 2025. Over the last year, Aldi has also increased the number of products with the EU organic label and currently offers around 320 foods from organic farming. It has also increased the assortment of products with the Fairtrade label, from 65 to 75 by 2022, and about 96% of the cotton used in private label products is already certified as sustainable. The company's goal by the end of 2025 is the use of 100% sustainable cotton in all private label clothing and home textile products made from or containing cotton. Read more: Aldi's parent company increases sales by 9.3% (revistainforetail.com)

Trader Joe’s (owned by the German discount Aldi Nord) will begin construction later this year on a 1 million-square-foot food assembly and distribution center in Palmdale that’s expected to employ 800 to 1,000 workers. The company operates additional distribution centers in Fontana and Stockton, as well as more than 500 stores in 42 states and Washington, D.C. Trader Joe’s will begin construction later this year on a 1 million-square-foot food assembly and distribution center in Palmdale that’s expected to employ 800 to 1,000 workers. The 104-acre project site, at the southeast corner of Avenue M and 10th St. West, will include three buildings, an 827,000-square-foot “hub” building, a 211,000-square-foot freezer facility and a 6,000-square-foot accessory building. Construction of the 1.03-million-square-foot logistics center is scheduled to begin in December and be completed in the fourth quarter of 2024. It will support Trader Joe’s stores throughout Southern California. The city included several conditions of approval for the project, including the widening of Avenue M and 10th St. West, construction of a sidewalk, curb and gutter, installation of a 12-foot bike path along Avenue M and 10th St. West and the installation of traffic signals at the 14 freeway/Ave M off ramps. The project, which gained Planning Commission approval at a January 2022 meeting, lies within the Antelope Valley Business Park Specific Plan and is covered under the plan’s Environmental Impact Report, which was approved in 1992. “We are thrilled that Trader Joe’s has selected Palmdale as a destination to expand their business with their new food assembly and distribution facility,” Mayor Laura Bettencourt said in a statement. Bettencourt said the project aligns with the city’s “commitment to economic vitality, innovation and job creation,” and will likely spur additional industrial development in Palmdale. It will also bring more property tax revenue to the city. City officials said it will be Trader Joe’s first distribution center in Los Angeles County and the company’s largest logistics facility in California. The company operates additional distribution facilities in Fontana and Stockton. Representatives with the Monrovia-based retail chain could not be reached to comment on the cost of the project, but the city placed its value, counting construction and improvements, at more than US$150 million. City Councilman Austin Bishop said the new jobs will be welcome, as the region has more than 70,000 commuters who often make their way into Los Angeles and surrounding areas on clogged freeways. “The idea of providing opportunities for our residents to work closer to home and spend less time commuting so they can free up their time to spend with family contributes to the overall well-being of our community,” he said. Trader Joe’s didn’t say what jobs will be available at the new facility or what the wages will be. But data from Indeed.com show packers at Trader Joe’s warehouses in California average $18.33 an hour, while forklift operators make $18.96 an hour and order pickers average $23.93. The Trader Joe’s distribution complex will be Palmdale’s third largest facility, behind Northrop and Lockheed’s operations at Air Force Plant 42, city officials said. The project will also include a 12.2-acre Joshua tree preservation area. Placards will be placed at various locations surrounding the area to identify western Joshua trees with information concerning the importance of their conservation. Founded in 1967 in the L.A. area, Trader Joe’s has since expanded to include more than 500 stores in 42 states and Washington, D.C. Read more: Trader Joe’s to build massive distribution center in Palmdale – Whittier Daily News

Poles shop on average by more than 10% more often than last year, therefore the traffic in stores increased by over 9% y/y. for the entire market. The analysis also confirmed that discount stores are still the first choice for most buyers. According to experts, the high market position of this format in Poland is determined by its availability, including, m.in a dense network of stores located close to places of residence and a competitively priced offer. And this in the market will not change quickly. We go to the shops more often Consumers are increasingly visiting stores (grocery discounters, supermarkets, hypermarkets and convenience chains), which is confirmed by studies of the frequency with which they shop. The latest such analysis, based on the behaviour of over 1.1 million Poles, was carried out by the technology company Proxi.cloud and the analytical and research platform UCE RESEARCH. A total of 33 thousand retail outlets were observed from 1st of January to 15th of May this year, with reference to the same period in the previous year (excluding holidays and non-commercial Sundays). During the period covered by the survey, Poles made purchases more often than in the same period of the previous year. According to Mateusz Chołuj, co-author of the analysis from Proxi.cloud, the increase in the frequency of grocery shopping by 10.2% is the result of the fact that they are more planned. "The basic reason for this phenomenon is care for the home budget and controlling expenses in the face of rising prices of almost all products. Another contributing aspect may be emerging promotions that are temporary. As a result, customers go to stores more frequently to replenish their stocks with cheaper products. This trend is unlikely to change, because consumers are more and more closely following the weekly discounts and adjusting the frequency of visits to stores for them", believes Chołuj. In turn, Dr. Maria Andrzej Faliński, former general director of POHiD, draws attention to the so-called "weaker wallet" of the consumer, which means that he avoids buying for stock and does not reach for an extended range of goods. "Few families are still making detailed shopping plans, although this phenomenon is growing. However, for now, it is being replaced by smaller purchases. With inflation-adjusted prices, we put less in the baskets. We save to achieve the purchase effect, but not to spend too much", adds Dr. Faliński. We definitely choose discounters The investigation also shows that the market shares of the various retail formats remained stable during the analysis period. Dr. Urszula Kłosiewicz-Górecka from the Economic Foresight Team at the Polish Economic Institute is of the opinion that the structure of trade formats visited by customers when buying FMCG is the result of the existing structure of points of sale in Poland and the choice of discount stores by customers as key places to buy everyday products. The analysis shows that about 88% of all customers visited discount stores at least once during the period under review. "The high and consolidating market position of discount stores in Poland was determined by their availability to customers, i.e. a dense network of outlets located close to their places of residence, as well as a competitively priced offer and attractiveness of the promotion. With high inflation, customers prefer to shop in stores that ensure low prices for products. This results in the dominant position of discount stores in the structure of the retail network and the unchanged annual share of these stores among all trade formats. The structure of points of sale in the short term, e.g. during the year, shows only minor changes," notes Dr. Kłosiewicz-Górecka. In addition, Dr. Faliński adds that other formats tried to catch up with the popularity of discounters, but did not withstand price or quality competition, or did not offer the opportunity to shop in such a short time as it is possible in discount stores. The expert also draws attention to the specificity of convenience stores, where goods are relatively more expensive, but such stores offer small and quick purchases, as well as supplementary, made e.g. once a week or month. They are also visited in exceptional situations, e.g. when customers return late from work, are unexpectedly visited by guests and do not have time for large purchases. "This trend will continue, because it is flexible in relation to the current needs of the client, operating both in times of abundance and now and for some time", believes the former general director of POHiD. Uneven clash of formats Mateusz Chołuj, an expert from Proxi.cloud, emphasizes that for the vast majority of people, the distance from their place of residence is of great importance when choosing a grocery store. This is understood by retail chains, which locate even several discount stores in each large housing estate. The expert also points out that supermarkets and hypermarkets have not completely given up in the clash with discount stores and from time to time try to fight harder for customers, but they approach these treatments with a distance. "The competition between formats is the most useful for consumers, who gain a wide choice between various types of offers and opportunities. Supermarkets and hypermarkets have to work hard to stay highly competitive. Of course, discounters should also keep their finger on the pulse so as not to lose their position on the market," says Chołuj. On the other hand, Dr. Kłosiewicz-Górecka does not expect that the position of discount stores will change significantly in the near future, although with decreasing inflation, shopping in convenience stores and autonomous stores will become more and more popular. Read more: In the shops a crowd of people. Promotion? No, there is another reason Source: MondayNews