Aldi shoppers 'most loyal' - survey

When it entered the Irish market little more than 10 years ago it was considered an oddball outsider which sold unfamiliar brands alongside a random assortment of blowtorches and jackhammers but today Aldi has become the most beloved of Irish supermarkets, at least according to a survey published this morning

The study by retail thinktank Verdict Research, in association with Checkout magazine, found that Aldi has the highest loyalty rates among Irish supermarket shoppers. All told 43 per cent of Aldi customers told researchers there was "nowhere else they would prefer to shop" for food and grocery items.

The news wasn't so good for the Tesco. Despite being the largest supermarket chain in the State, just 25.9 per cent of its shoppers expressed a similar degree of loyalty.

The second most loyal shoppers were to be found in Superquinn where 34 per cent . said they would rather not shop anywhere else . Marks & Spencer shoppers finish in third place on 33 per cent, just half a point ahead of independent retailers and non- non-affiliated supermarkets. Customers of the other German discount supermarket Lidl were at 30 per cent.

Some 27 per cent of Dunnes Stores shoppers agreed with the statement, marginally ahead of the 28.7 per cent who expressed their loyalty to SuperValu.

"Retailers need to constantly remind consumers of what makes them unique, and the fact that Aldi boasts the highest loyalty rates of all mainstream supermarkets is testament to its strong marketing message over the past year," said Stephen Wynne-Jones, editor, Checkout.

Maureen Hinton from Verdict Research said price was "a key attraction" for Aldi shoppers but added that its high loyalty score "demonstrates its ability to provide much more than just low prices". She suggested this would put it "in a strong position when the economy improves".

While it may not have the most loyal shoppers, the study shows that Tesco is the most visited of all mainstream grocery chains, with 77.7 per cent of those polled saying they visit Tesco supermarkets regularly. Some 64 per cent said they went to Lidl stores while 59.4 per cent saying they visited Dunnes Stores on a frequent basis, marginally ahead of the number who told pollsters they visited Aldi stores regularly.