Business expansion through training and development
Aldi (short for Albrecht Discounts) is a globally operating and expanding discount retailer with over 8,000 stores all over the world. The company was founded in 1913 in Germany by two brothers. In 1960 the former Albrecht KG was separated in Aldi Sued and Aldi Nord. The headquarters are located in Essen (Aldi Nord) and Mülheim an der Ruhr (Aldi Sued). Both companies still have a friendly relation and use the same brands occasionally but operate independently.
Aldi Nord operates in Denmark, the Benelux countries, France, the Iberian Peninsula and Poland. Aldi Sued makes its business transactions in countries including Ireland, the United Kingdom, Greece, Switzerland, Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, USA and Australia. In Austria and Slovenia Aldi is represented by Hofer KG.
Overall Aldi is one of the world’s biggest grocery chains. The sales strategy is well known as they offer the opportunity to buy cheap and good/fresh food. The main focus is on key markets in Europe, North America and Australia. Store layouts are simple and opening hours focus especially on the busiest times of the day. The retailer is a specialist in food, beverage and household items but within the years the portfolio was extended. The company acts now among other things for example, as travel agency. Many of the offered products are own brands. The number of other brands is limited to a maximum of two for an item. Therefore it is possible to keep the shops smaller and to sell a larger quantity of a specific brand. The slogan “Spend a little, live a lot” reflects the strategy of Aldi. In a nutshell to keep prices low they are not taking effort on presenting their variety of goods.
Worldwide main competitors of Aldi are Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., METRO AG and Lidl Dienstleistung GmbH & Co. KG. Particular Austrian competitors are Zielpunkt, Norma and Penny. The strategy of the mentioned chains is similar. They are all driving their main