Aldi opens an Amazon Go-style store in London.

-

Source: Retail in Detail

In what is still a surprise, the discounter advances in its line of offering new services and formats to consumers ... It has been said for a long time that they cannot be called discounters, and I suppose that in the end we will end up paying attention!

The German chain has just announced that it has opened an “Amazon Go” style store in London today, in which shoppers log in when they enter, take what they need from the shelves and leave the store without going through the box or scanning anything. In a few minutes they receive an email with the ticket of their purchase, which is loaded on the card with which they register. 

For now, it is a pilot store for Aldi employees, and it is expected to open to the public shortly. They've gotten ahead of Tesco, which has been setting up one of its Express stores in London for this for a while. Amazon already has six stores with this technology in London (they have been called Amazon Fresh here).

British shoppers are already a bit used to these similar quick shopping experiences, hastened by the advent of Covid and the measures that were taken to prevent its spread. Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury's offer a service to scan the purchase and pay in an App on your own phone in a good number of stores (Sainsbury's in a few convenience stores, while Marks & Spencer in many of their stores, even the most big).

Aldi in the UK is developing its range of channels through which it reaches the consumer. Before the pandemic, it began to open stores in the convenient channel (about 500m2, with an almost complete assortment of mass consumption, but without the “Special Buys” characteristics), and during the last year it has ventured with the online purchase, first hand in hand with Deliveroo, and then offering “click & collect” purchases (buy online, pick up in the store's parking lot) in a good number of stores.

By developing online and convenience, it wants to join two channels that seem to be in fashion in these post-pandemic times and offer more convenience to buyers.

Popular posts from this blog

Savory, sweet, or something else? British snack preferences

-
Image
As  more Britons incorporate snacks into their daily routines , understanding their preferences could be essential for brands looking to capture a share of the market. From fruits and vegetables to indulgent confectionary and savoury treats, the snacking landscape in the UK is diverse. When it comes to daily snacking frequency, fruits and vegetables lead the way. Research shows that 57% of Britons snack on fruits daily, while 41% eat vegetables just as often. These healthy options are staples in the British diet; however, indulgence also has its place in the snacking routine.  Confectionary items are a popular choice, with 45% of Britons indulging weekly. Similarly, crisps (41%) and savoury biscuits (32%) are go-to snacks for many, highlighting the nation’s love for salty and crunchy treats.  Yogurt is another favoured option, with 24% of Britons enjoying it daily and 30% weekly. Despite being promoted as nutritious options, only a small percentage of respondents consume ...
Read more

Inside Lidl’s strategy for in-store bakery (and how suppliers can help)

-
Image
Lidl is making a major play for in-store bakery and it’s not afraid to shout about it. The discounter – which is currently the sixth largest grocer in the UK by market share [Statista] – recently overtook Tesco to secure the biggest slice of in-store bakery (ISB). Data from Kantar showed that Lidl, which was crowned  Bakery Retailer of the Year  at the 2023 Baking Industry Awards, had pipped the UK’s largest supermarket  with 18.2% of the ISB market compared to Tesco’s 18%. Speaking at the British Society of Baking conference earlier this year, Holly Bleach, head of buying at Lidl, described bakery as “critical” to Lidl as it’s one of the categories that drives overall customer satisfaction. “We’re set up to be really successful in bakery in the UK due to the prominence of our bakeries in store. More often than not, they’re right by the front door so every customer that walks in has to pass the bakery and not many can resist stopping and obviously picking up an item,” she...
Read more