- Original Poster
- #1
This week I did something I would never have considered before... I was dragged kicking and screaming to Aldi. Now I am quite happy as a brand snob, the very thought of going to a budget low rent food store sends me into a child-like tantrum, but the experience was quite a surprise.
We spent around £35 on fresh veg, meat and a few other bits and pieces. The quality was good, the price was significantly cheaper than Sainsburys, our usual haunt.
So here's my take on the supermarket, er, market, comments welcome.
1. Aldi
Quite simply a surprise; good quality fresh food at prices the others wake up in cold sweats over. I still wouldn't buy of their overseas 'branded' goods, and I maintain that a lot of the clientele were wierd but the fresh food isles are were its at.
2. Co-op
They should be really worried. Aldi is what the Co-op should be, a genuine quality food alternative to the big 4 that competes successfully on price. Instead the Co-ops isles are filled with high priced branded goods and their fresh food offering feels like an after-thought. They seem content to be a convenience-store+ instead of a genuine competitor to our quality & price desires. If they were listed I would be selling their shares.
3. Tesco
Who are they? Seriously! I couldn't honestly tell you what Tesco offers. It has no USP, they just stack it high and charge moderate prices for moderate products. No cheapest offer, no highest quality, its the shop you go to if you can't find anything else. Their smaller stores are massively over-priced, even the Co-op seems cheap in comparison. The new CEO needs to ditch the Hudl and give his brand some kind of identity.
4. Asda
Not much to say here; cheap, dirty, uninspiring and that's just the clientele (I'm looking at you Donnington store) but you know you'll have change from £100 for a family weekly shop. Best placed of the big 4 to ride out the storm, they have a distinct cheap and cheerful identity.
5. Sainsburys
Expensive, perceived quality. No amount of gimmickry and back-handed brand-match fakery will get away from the cold hard facts, they position themselves above Tesco but below M&S and Waitrose. A strong bright brand and trading heavily on the snobbery factor (I am testimony to that, or at least I was).
6. M&S... Waitrose
I'm grouping these two together. Simply fantastic quality food, head and shoulders above the rest but you will pay through the nose for it. Theirs is a distinct offering and market position, and their success in increasing sales proves that quality worth paying for is in demand.
7. Morrisons
They are in danger of becoming the next Tesco. Although they try to create an impression of a USP with a market stall feel to their offering, in reality its much of the same with reasonably priced branded goods but with a slightly grubby old out date feel (I'm looking at you Pendeford store). Quick and convenient, but I do wonder what they think of themselves... their USP is waffer thin.
Apologies to the other multi-nationals if I've not commented on your efforts, I'm still holding out going to an Aldi and the thought of the Sainsburys-backed Nettos re-entrance into the market would give the undead food for thought.
To conclude; those with a strong identity that find their target audiences are surviving and in some cases thriving in the storm. Those tired, uninspiring and complacent offerings are plummeting and will continue to do so; the mood in the Country is for change across the board and that includes our shopping habits.
We spent around £35 on fresh veg, meat and a few other bits and pieces. The quality was good, the price was significantly cheaper than Sainsburys, our usual haunt.
So here's my take on the supermarket, er, market, comments welcome.
1. Aldi
Quite simply a surprise; good quality fresh food at prices the others wake up in cold sweats over. I still wouldn't buy of their overseas 'branded' goods, and I maintain that a lot of the clientele were wierd but the fresh food isles are were its at.
2. Co-op
They should be really worried. Aldi is what the Co-op should be, a genuine quality food alternative to the big 4 that competes successfully on price. Instead the Co-ops isles are filled with high priced branded goods and their fresh food offering feels like an after-thought. They seem content to be a convenience-store+ instead of a genuine competitor to our quality & price desires. If they were listed I would be selling their shares.
3. Tesco
Who are they? Seriously! I couldn't honestly tell you what Tesco offers. It has no USP, they just stack it high and charge moderate prices for moderate products. No cheapest offer, no highest quality, its the shop you go to if you can't find anything else. Their smaller stores are massively over-priced, even the Co-op seems cheap in comparison. The new CEO needs to ditch the Hudl and give his brand some kind of identity.
4. Asda
Not much to say here; cheap, dirty, uninspiring and that's just the clientele (I'm looking at you Donnington store) but you know you'll have change from £100 for a family weekly shop. Best placed of the big 4 to ride out the storm, they have a distinct cheap and cheerful identity.
5. Sainsburys
Expensive, perceived quality. No amount of gimmickry and back-handed brand-match fakery will get away from the cold hard facts, they position themselves above Tesco but below M&S and Waitrose. A strong bright brand and trading heavily on the snobbery factor (I am testimony to that, or at least I was).
6. M&S... Waitrose
I'm grouping these two together. Simply fantastic quality food, head and shoulders above the rest but you will pay through the nose for it. Theirs is a distinct offering and market position, and their success in increasing sales proves that quality worth paying for is in demand.
7. Morrisons
They are in danger of becoming the next Tesco. Although they try to create an impression of a USP with a market stall feel to their offering, in reality its much of the same with reasonably priced branded goods but with a slightly grubby old out date feel (I'm looking at you Pendeford store). Quick and convenient, but I do wonder what they think of themselves... their USP is waffer thin.
Apologies to the other multi-nationals if I've not commented on your efforts, I'm still holding out going to an Aldi and the thought of the Sainsburys-backed Nettos re-entrance into the market would give the undead food for thought.
To conclude; those with a strong identity that find their target audiences are surviving and in some cases thriving in the storm. Those tired, uninspiring and complacent offerings are plummeting and will continue to do so; the mood in the Country is for change across the board and that includes our shopping habits.
You cannot beat £20 on weekly shopping compared to £40 at Morrisons. I wouldn't buy meat at Aldi, but then I'm suspicious to any meat, and try to be vegetarian. The only one thing that beats Aldi is their bread selection, comparing to what Morrisons offers, it doesn't get anywhere near. But overall, I think almost everyone turned to Aldi right now... Not a great fan of Lidl though.
