Lidl and Aldi’s cosmetically defective products are highly salable
While retail chains are strengthening their own-brand product range, there is also a high demand for products with cosmetic defects. At Lidl and Aldi, damaged but whole fruit and vegetables are a hot sell, resulting in a five-fold increase in turnover at Aldi and Lidl in just a few months in the UK.

Vegetables and fruits that have a cosmetic defect, but are of full value, are cheaper
Food inflation in the United Kingdom is 13.9 percent in one year, which is the highest value since Kantar’s measurements began 14 years ago. However, despite the dynamic rise in prices, residential food sales increased according to the market researcher: for example, by 4.8 percent in the 12 weeks until the second of October, writes Napi.
According to the researchers, the success of wonky vegan products is understandable, as customers are looking for ways to get cheaper products. These unsightly, but full-value vegetables and fruits are cheaper than the more attractive ones, and by selling them at a discount, the stores also reduce the amount of food waste.
As a result, the turnover of the two German discount chains has skyrocketed in the last five months. The former achieved a turnover increase of 20.7 percent in the mentioned period, and its market share increased from 8 percent to 9.3 percent. The latter advanced even more, so it was the largest growing food store chain in the United Kingdom during this time: with an expansion of 20.9 percent, its share of the market jumped from 6 to 7.1 percent.
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