A NEW documentary will reveal the secrets behind the success of Britain’s biggest budget supermarket, Aldi.
The Channel 5 programme looks at how the German supermarket has succeeded in the UK after overcoming old-fashioned snobbery and fighting for the attention of shoppers with its high quality own-brand products.
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Last month, sales at the supermarket grew by 6.2 per cent with nearly half of UK households shopping in a store during the three months to August 11, according to analysts Kantar.
The Inside Aldi: Britain’s Biggest Budget Supermarket meets ex-staff and experts who reveal the clever tricks that the retailer has used to cut costs.
Small checkouts help keep prices low
This includes why checkouts are so small. Experts say that a small till area means they have to put items straight back into their trolleys and then pack them at the back of the shop, helping staff to scam more items.
It also reveals how products have multiple barcodes so that staff can get through as many items as possible at the checkout.
These efficiency measures help keep prices low, as the chain is also to pass on savings to customers.
But it hasn’t always been easy for Aldi. Rival supermarkets are threatened by bargain supermarkets and a few years ago Aldi had 100 products withdrawn by suppliers.
It came after rival firms put pressure on suppliers to not trade with Aldi, over fears that the supermarket was selling items too cheaply.
Aldi’s treasure aisle-land
The programme dubs Aldi’s specialbuys – which appear in store every Thursday in the middle aisle – it’s very own “treasure aisle-land”.
The items which are bought in bulk and only appear in store for a couple of week are part of what tempts in shoppers every week.
Experts on the documentary say that helps increase profitability for the stores as shoppers pop in to buy their weekly shop but end up buying “luxuries” at a real discount.
Lookalike brands a recipe for success
Aldi has much fewer products than a normal supermarket – just 2,000 versus the typical 40,000 in the likes of Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s.
A massive 95 per cent of these products are own-brand, meaning the supermarket can cut its margins and help force down prices.
The supermarket has also worked hard to find products that not only look like big brands but taste like them too.
In the past we’ve revealed the best Aldi and Lidl lookalike products which are most-loved by shoppers.
How it appeals to Brits
The documentary also explains how Aldi has left its German history behind to try and appeal to UK shoppers.
This includes British flags on its signage in stores, as well as sponsoring the UK athletics team.
It even swapped the layout to put fruit and veg to the front of branches after it found it would tempt in more shoppers.
It now stocks one of the biggest ranges of UK produce, with over 80 per cent of its items from Britain.
Inside Aldi: Britain’s Biggest Budget Supermarket will air on Monday August 26 at 9pm Channel 5.
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