German sourdough bread, pretzels, wheat yeast – typical German specialties are well received in the USA. In New York, the discount chains Lidl and Aldi are benefiting from this.
From Antje Passenheim, ARD Studio New York How does the German discounter Lidl pronounce itself? The customers don’t care. “I only knew Aldi,” says one customer, “I think these are brothers who then broke up.” Well, something like that. No matter if it’s true: The New Yorker from Queens has lost her heart to the “German Supermarket”. She is completely obsessed with shopping in the bright new store that – apart from most US products – could be anywhere in Germany and has just opened in her Astoria neighborhood. The queue then moved around two blocks. “I am here for the third time this week,” says the customer. Fish and meat and German bread and vegetables – and in general: “The prices are great! Astoria has become so expensive. In this supermarket I can afford all the organic things.”
German chains put pressure on the competition
Lidl, Aldi and the Aldi-Nord subsidiary Trader Joe’s: They have become real competition for the large US markets. Lidl has only been around for three and a half years – with 145 stores now. After starting problems, the group now wants to conquer the east coast. Aldi has had over 2,000 branches since the 1970s – and the trend is growing, says US boss Jason Hart: “Our sales are better than the average of the US markets. And that encourages us to move into existing stores as well as new ones to invest. ” They are cheaper than the US competition. Whether with more own brands like Aldi or with more branded items like Lidl. Pallets in the aisles, cardboard boxes on the shelves – even in the glamorous city of New York, the economical German concept is popular, says Lidl spokesman William Harwood: “It’s the glamor of saving. Putting more into your basket. More about yours Bring family home. ”
Less is more?
Especially since even New Yorkers have been at the stove themselves more often since Corona and home office. And that without being constantly spoiled for choice, says Constantin Mellinghoff, who sells German groceries to retailers and markets in the USA: “If you go to an ordinary American supermarket, you will find at least ten different bottles of ketchup, for example.” Instead, Lidl or Trader Joe’s only offer one bottle – “and the quality is so good that you don’t need a second,” says Mellinghoff. This concept is well received in the tightly-timed New York gearbox, says Lidl spokesman Harwood: “You can do your shopping faster. You normally need 45 minutes, you have to go through 50 aisles with 50,000 items. With us you can get through in 20 minutes.”
One discounter, one concept: the Lidl branches in the USA differ little in appearance from the markets in Germany. Image: Antje Passenheim, WDR
German specialties, American special requests
Fresh pretzels, German sourdough bread, wheat beer and a DIY set in the special offer shopping basket: German discounters also score points with newcomers with seasonal items, for example with Aldi customer Tanja: “It’s nice to see a few German products. At Christmas, dominoes or gingerbread. Or Viennese sausages every now and then. ” Sometimes other customer requests get lost in the German representation: Wouldn’t the new Lidl in Queens also include kosher products? Wouldn’t the branch on the chic offshore island of Long Island also serve champagne? “German discounters” are acceptable everywhere, says Diana Smith from the market research institute Mintel. “The desire for a good price-performance ratio runs through all income groups. Markets like Aldi are also more often aimed at an audience that earns better.” The internal struggle of the German discounters for the east coast metropolis continues. Newcomer Lidl wants to come to Manhattan soon. Aldi is already there. In the customer ranking of the newspaper “USA Today”, however, Lidl is leading: In front of hundreds of US markets, the chain is in third place. Aldi followed closely in fifth place.
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