Lidl sells more beer, shampoo and icecream than Aldi

Hard discount chain Lidl open its first 13 stores in Switzerland on March and the German giant is expected to open 14 more stores throughout the year – new research by Nielsen says.

 Lidl has entered the Swiss market with thirteen stores on 19th March. The arrival of German discount supermarket chain Lidl in Switzerland created more waves than its rival Aldi in 2005, especially knowing that they plan to open 14 more stores throughout the year. Lidl has 7 740 stores all over Europe, while Aldi has 7 200 units only. Notoriously high Swiss grocery prices have already fallen in the past four years. But new competition between Aldi and the more "Swiss-friendly" Lidl could drive them further down, one retail expert believes. Discount stores are more likely to benefit from the growing recession as more customers opt to save money when buying groceries, and the current economic difficulties could force the pace on a number of initiatives that would liberalise the Swiss market by bringing down restrictions on importing cheaper goods to sell in Switzerland. In Lidl, 31 percent of the products as an average are private label-goods. The most important feature for consumers is to obtain products for fair prices near their home. Lidl seems to be more successful now than Aldi in the following categories: beer, shampoo, icecream, diapers, and mineral water.