Discounter Aldi Australia has announced its will open a further ten stores in South Australian and 14 in Western Australia during 2017.
By the end of this year, the German-headquartered retailer will be operating 39 stores in South Australian and 31 stores in Western Australia, adding to its more than 400 stores across the country.
Aldi Australia has also announced it will be reinvesting in its current stores, refurbishing and modernising the formats for better shopping experiences, while also setting a goal of being the best value fruit and vegetable retailer in Australia.
“Aldi Australia is and always will be the price leader in the market and these store upgrades will not impact our prices,” an Aldi Australia spokesperson said in a company statement released November 2016. “This will mean better quality produce for our customers. The new centralised fruit and vegetable purchasing model, which will roll out by mid-2017, will further improve our strategic relationships with suppliers to focus on long-term, flexible contracts that suit the grower, product, season and conditions.”
A recent report by Project Harvest, commissioned by industry body Horticulture Innovation Australia found that consumer sentiment towards Aldi is improving, with consumers believing Aldi is competitive with other retailers on the value, quality and choice of fresh produce.
The report found that consumers perceive the quality of fresh vegetables at Aldi on par with independents, and slight behind Coles and Woolworths.
“Aldi and the independents are seen as offering slightly less variety for shoppers purchasing fresh vegetables, especially compared to the well-perceived ranges of speciality retailers,” Ausveg spokesperson Jarrod Strauch. “Interestingly, consumers also perceive two ‘tiers’ when it comes to the quality of fresh vegetables on offer, with speciality retailers ranked above the rest of the pack.
“This means that when shoppers think about the quality of vegetables on offer and the value for money they’re getting from their purchases, they’re placing Aldi right in the mix with Woolworths and Coles.”
