Taste of its own medicine

While we in India worry about invasion of foreign brand staking over the country, if that has not happened already, it came as a surprise to know that the Americans too a bit worried too. And their cause of worry is the invasion of cheaper German supermarket chains.

The US retail market which has never really had much to worry about except internal competition, will have more cause to worry – two discount grocers from Europe, Lidl and Aldi are preparing to take the US supermarket sector by storm.

Lidl is planning to open its first 20 stores in the US this year, in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, and expects to add another 80 locations in 2018. At the same time, Aldi is expected to ramp up its 1,300-store US presence to roughly 2,000 locations. In fact world over, it was the business models of Lidl and Aldi which was adopted when it came to discount supermarkets.

Both the stores plan to adapt to the US needs and preferences and not adopt its one-size-fits-all model.

It is nice sometimes to read how America, which in many ways has always been the market disruptor in many countries will now get a taste of its own medicine. Indeed, every dog has its day!