Lidl tops the discount ranking
More often, the branded product doesn't end up in the shopping cart, but a cheaper version. Many consumers have changed their shopping habits, an institute explains. This causes the total sales of discounters to rise.
Lidl remains the market leader among food discounters in Germany. The company achieved the highest turnover of 28.7 billion euros here in 2023, as figures from the Cologne-based retail research institute EHI show. Aldi Süd came in second with a turnover of 18.8 billion euros. Following that were Netto Marken-Discount (17.1), which belongs to Edeka, Aldi Nord (14.3), and the discounter Penny (9.5), which belongs to the Rewe group. The figures for Lidl, Aldi Süd, and Aldi Nord are estimates, while the data for Netto and Penny comes from the companies themselves.
The top five discounters achieved a total turnover of 88.4 billion euros in Germany in 2023, according to EHI, which was 43 percent of the total turnover in the German food retail sector. Lidl (+10 percent) and Netto (+8.2 percent) saw the largest increases compared to the previous year. Overall, discounters were able to finish the year with a 6.9 percent increase.
The strong recent growth of discounters can be attributed to the continued high price sensitivity and economic uncertainties among consumers. "This is reflected in a changed shopping behavior: consumers are increasingly opting for store brands over manufacturer brands, shopping more frequently at discounters, and comparing prices more intensively," said EHI retail expert Peter Cyganek.
Even with the rise in popularity of branded products, many consumers still prefer to shop at food markets, opting for cheaper alternatives. Interestingly, these food markets, often associated with discount stores, have become popular destinations for budget-conscious shoppers.
