Lidl named Britain's best supermarket for the first time in its 21-year history

RUKI SAYID
10 JUNE 2015
Mirror UK
The German-owned budget store chain scooped Grocer of the Year at a prestigious awards ceremony to steal the title from arch rival Aldi
Discounter Lidl has been crowned king of the supermarkets for the first time in its 21-year history at the supermarket industry ‘Oscars’.
The budget store scooped Grocer of the Year at a prestigious awards ceremony to steal the title from arch rival Aldi.
Lidl also beat shortlisted chains Waitrose and Asda to the top award
It took the top gong at The Grocer’s Gold Awards in London, organised by trade publication The Grocer, and editor Adam Leyland said the German-owned value retailer had finally come of age.
Mr Leyland added: “In a transformational year for the discounter, in which it reinvented itself and executed a number of brave decisions with aplomb, Lidl’s savvy, witty and modern approach to marketing has changed perceptions about this previously reclusive retailer.
“Above all Lidl has proved it is no longer the poor cousin in its category, living in the shadow of Aldi, with stellar growth supported by a strong pipeline of new stores.”
Since opening its first UK shop in 1994, Lidl now boasts 620 stores across the UK and has seen its market share hit a record high of 3.9%.
Lidl UK boss Ronny Gottschlich said: “More and more people are coming to Lidl for their full supermarket shop, with old preconceptions continuing to change all the time.
“We are committed to investing in our own brand ranges so that we can offer our customers premium products and ingredients at the lowest possible prices, helping them to shop a little smarter and save as much money as possible, every single day.”
The award comes as the chain launches a multi-million pound TV advertising campaign challenging shoppers to test big brands such as Cathedral City cheese, a ketchup and a Champagne against its own labels.
A new series of commercials screened from Thursday night – the first during ITV’s Emmerdale – feature a taste test with Brits asked to choose between two similar products, only to discover the one they prefer is a Lidl version.
Mr Gottschlich said : “Low price doesn’t have to mean low quality. We’re really excited about this latest campaign as it allows the quality of our products to speak for themselves.”