New independent research survey finds Aldi prices particularly strong on fresh meat, fruit and vegetables.
More Irish shoppers believe Aldi offers the lowest prices in the market on a weekly grocery shop than any other Irish retailer, according to the latest study.
With price emerging as a key battleground for consumers in recent months (53% of customers say they would switch if they knew were getting lower prices on goods they want), the research covered 1,000 adults around the country and found more than four-in-ten (43%) named Aldi as having the lowest prices, compared with 36% for Lidl and 13% for Tesco. Dunnes Stores was named as the best value by 5% with SuperValu named by 3% of shoppers.
Aldi was identified by 42% of consumers as offering the lowest prices on fresh fruit and vegetables in particular, with 35% naming it as the best value supermarket in which to buy fresh meat.
One in three respondents believe that grocery prices in Ireland have decreased in the last 12 months, of which 70% feel this is because of increased competition in the grocery sector and a new ‘price war’ taking place across the country.
Word Of Mouth
Word of mouth is extremely important for Irish consumers, with nearly half (45%) saying they are most likely to turn to their friends and family to find out which supermarkets offer the lowest prices, with 39% looking first to promotional leaflets. Meanwhile, 19% said they get their information on pricing from social media.
Looking at perceptions on price by region, shoppers in Munster were the most likely to name Aldi as the lowest price supermarket (51%), with the retailer also impressing a significant number of customers with low prices in Leinster (48%).
In the greater Dublin area, where Aldi recently announced plans to open a number of new stores in the coming months, 30% of shoppers said that Aldi offered the lowest prices. In Connacht, 42% consider Aldi to be the best value supermarket, as do 41% in Ulster.
Younger Families
Aldi leads the way in terms of being perceived as the lowest priced supermarket across almost all age groups, with the highest proportion (47%) coming in the 35-44 age category.
This is the age group most likely to be shopping for a young family, however, similar results are seen amongst younger consumers who are likely to have considerably different shopping missions. Respondents between the ages of 18 to 24 – those most likely to be students – were notably more likely to name Aldi as being the best value supermarket too (44%), as were those in the ‘young professional’ age group of 25-34 (41%).
Commenting on the results, Giles Hurley, CEO, Aldi UK & Ireland, said, “It is no surprise that Irish consumers rank Aldi Ireland as the best value supermarket in the country. Our proposition is simple – we guarantee that we won’t be beaten on price and we have proved this time and time again. Our customers can be sure that we will always discount the market and offer the highest quality Irish products.”
Price Reviews
“We have cut the prices on over 50% of our product range in the last 12 months to ensure we lead the market on price, dropping prices on everything from our Mamia baby care range, pet care, and household cleaning essentials, to some of our most popular wines, fruit and vegetables and fresh meat," Giles added.
We keep our prices constantly under review and are looking at further reductions so we can give our customers even greater value.”
“It is also noteworthy that in the areas where we have more stores on a per capita basis, like Munster, the number of consumers identifying Aldi as offering the best value is the highest.
"We are opening stores around the country as fast as we can, and currently have a €160m investment programme underway to build 20 new stores and revamp our entire portfolio to our “Project Fresh” format to give customers the best Aldi experience.”
“We are opening our next store in Passage West, Cork on the 19th July and we plan to open a further six stores this year including a really exciting project in the Frascati Shopping Centre in Blackrock, Dublin.”
© 2018 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition
