From Jörg van Wershofen in TradeScope's German office: According to a recent article in Germany’s Spiegel Online it would appear that price alone is no longer driving consumers as it once did. On the contrary, it would seem – according to the research data – that shopping enjoyment is overtaking discounting alone.
The study, by the society for consumer research (GfK), shows that while German supermarkets Edeka and Rewe increased their sales by just over two percent, sales at Aldi and Lidl remained flat; this despite the fact that the discounters invested billions both in beautifying their stores and advertising. You may read the full Spiegel article here.
TradeScope, which has a unique perspective on the food and beverage market through its involvement both in Britain and Continental Europe, will be investigating whether the German retail trend will be mirrored in the UK. Watch this space.
For more info please contact Jörg van Wershofen in Germany or Ted Horton in the UK.