This is not a political post or anything to do with brexit just food for thought

[Red Lead Ted]

Analysis: Emma Simpson, BBC business correspondent
The most striking number in these Aldi results is the extra £1bn in sales it has added in the space of a year.
This business is still pinching customers from rivals.
Critics say Aldi's growth is predominantly space driven - in other words because it's still relatively small it's got lots of capacity to grow, something the big established players don't have. A top Aldi [ALDIEI.UL] executive told Reuters it aimed to have 1,000 UK stores by 2022, up from its current 762 while Lidl said it sees potentially 1,200 to 1,500 stores in the long term, up from 710.
Meanwhile, store openings at market leader Tesco (TSCO.L), Sainsbury’s (SBRY.L), Asda (WMT.N) and Morrisons (MRW.L) have slowed to a trickle. They are shedding thousands of jobs so they can save money and better compete with the discounters.
Aldi and Lidl’s cut-price model have turned them into two of the world’s biggest retailers. They have expanded abroad as growth stagnated at home.
Aldi launched in Britain in 1994 and Lidl in 1990 and they have changed the shape of the UK grocery market. Aldi and Lidl are also modernising existing stores and making a push into premium ranges that chimes with British shoppers, who, squeezed by inflation and subdued wages growth, have become more cautious in their spending. For now, Aldi and Lidl’s combined share of the 200 billion pound ($283 billion) UK grocery market is set to grow. It will be 15 percent by 2020, up from 12.1 percent currently, according to Ashley Anzie, strategic insight director for grocery at researcher Kantar Worldpanel. “That’s largely driven by the fact that Aldi and Lidl will just physically be opening more stores,” he said.
“What we’re doing is investing very carefully in things that add to our customer offer, our store portfolio, our infrastructure,” Jonathan Neale, Aldi Managing Director Buying, told Reuters.
Aldi’s 1 billion pounds investment programme to the end of 2018 will create 8,000 jobs. Britain’s departure from the European Union had not changed the company’s plans, Neale said.

[Keith Tindell]

Yep, good news for the customer Terry, come out of my front gate, lidl 500yrds left, Aldi about the same distance right, and have to confess we use regularly, ky

[vic mcclymont]

Aldi and Lidl stock only 2000 to 3000 items. All the big stores stock close on 40,000.
In saying that the Germans offer good quality at reasonable prices.
th

[Doc Vernon]

Aldi is a good Store however as said not enough range as far as the other big Stores go.
But Quality and price is good ,i only shop there for special things the rest i always go to our store Coles!
Cheers

[Captain Kong]

I have never ever been in any Alldi or Lidl,
Never touch anything german or european if possible.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Never touch anything german or european if possible.

All those years wasted at sea Brian, all those French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch girls just waiting to be touched by a sarong wearing British seaman adventurer

[Doc Vernon]

Dont see much wrong nowdays with lots of German goods Their Cars are very impressive !

[happy daze john in oz]

We buy the odd item at Aldi but their stores are small compared with the big chains.
Checking prices I see little difference from the major supermarkets.
Meat is the same price and a lot of the produce they put on offer looks very sub standards to the point I would say much of it is seconds.

I have bought a few of their variety goods, the majority of which I have returned as useless.
A tablet with battery life of only 30 mins, but hundreds were returned for this reason.
Pair of binoculars , would have done as well with two milk bottles.
Hand vac, twenty min run, eight hours to recharge?


They are very good for families of low income if all you want is the basics.

[Graham Payne]

My Wife is distraught
Waitrose is to close and be replaced by Lidl.
Her street cred will crash big time.

[vic mcclymont]

Graham, same in Notts, Waitrose closing, Lidl taking over, they are complaining house prices will crash.
Vic