ALDI continues to grow along the east coast

Posted by AFN Staff Writers on 25th October 2012

Supermarket giant ALDI opened its latest store in Queensland yesterday at the newly renovated Redbank Plaza, Brisbane. The new Redbank plaza store joins 280 ALDI stores operating across the Australian eastern seaboard in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.

The privately-owned German-controlled ALDI group has developed a very successful Australian operation. During a federal government enquiry in 2008 into the level of supermarket competition in Australia’s grocery industry, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found that ALDI had added significantly to competition.  The ACCC found a downward effect on rival grocery prices whenever there was an ALDI in the neighbourhood.

A 2009 survey by Australia’s peak consumer group, CHOICE, found that ALDI was 25 per cent cheaper on comparable groceries than Woolworths and Coles. ALDI has been well received by the Australian public, and many consumers in Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory are hoping that ALDI will expand there.

ALDI’s managing director for the Stapylton region (southern Qld), Viktor Jakupec said that ALDI has been leading the Roy Morgan consumer satisfaction survey since 2006, and was recently named supermarket of the year by Canstar Blue.

“ALDI sources 100 per cent of fresh meat and 94 per cent of chilled dairy and 97 per cent of fruit and vegetables within Australia. We are the only major grocery retailer in Australia to list all products and prices online so our customers know the exact value they are getting,” Mr Jakupec said.

The new opening of the Redbank store follows recent openings in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales. The openings have inspired a rumour that ALDI may soon expand to Western Australia, but an ALDI spokesperson told Australian Food News today that it would be some time before ALDI would open a store in Western Australia.

“ALDI can confirm that the relaxation of trading hours in Western Australia has improved the state’s appeal in terms of future development. We continue, however to be focused on utilising our existing capacity in the east coast before considering expansion plans in other states,” the ALDI spokesperson said.

Although ALDI will not expand to other Australian states in the immediate future, its continued growth and consumer satisfaction continues to put performance pressure on Coles and Woolworths.