Overview
- Reporting on Tuesday and Wednesday (July 28–29) documented that many private‑label items cost the same at Aldi, Lidl and full‑range supermarkets and that the chains' recent price campaigns reduced average prices by only about 1.8 to 2.5 percent.
- Aldi keeps a larger German store footprint of roughly 4,200 outlets while Lidl, part of the Schwarz‑Gruppe, now has more than 11,500 international stores and has been increasing revenue through overseas growth and vertical logistics investments.
- Assortment choices still differ: Aldi emphasizes a broad private‑label range, an expanded GUT BIO line and stronger animal‑welfare claims, while Lidl offers more national brands, visible in‑store bakeries and a developed online shop.
- Independent testing shows broadly similar food quality at both chains but flagged safety problems in some nonfood items, for example lab breaks in an e‑bike's fork and saddle components, a result Lidl disputes.
- Many discounter private labels are made by established manufacturers such as Müller, Arla and Lorenz, which means shoppers often get products from the same factories and must mix offers across stores to find the largest savings, not rely on a single cheapest chain.