German discounter Aldi has its eyes set on London after a successful test with a proximity store in Balham. Just ten days ago, arch rival Lidl also announced a plan to conquer London.
Aldi Local
Aldi Local, as the Germans call their small urban store, is a new concept that de discounter introduced this spring. The second one to open, after the trial store in Balham, is a store in Camden. On top of that, ‘regular’ stores in Archway, Eastcote, Kilburn, Kingston, Romford and Tooting would be rebuilt into smaller ‘Local’ stores. The Camden store would offer some 1,500 products on 600 sqm – nearly exactly the same as the first store in Balham that opened this March.
The main difference between a regular store and an Aldi Local is its product range: the latter does not sell heavy or big products that (almost) require a car for transport. The new concept also focuses on on-the-go products: as such, it may have a slightly higher price range compared to ordinary Aldi stores.
Ten days ago, Lidl had already announced a London expansion: it wants to grow from 88 to 120 stores in the British capital. This investment would cost the German retailer around 560 million euros.
