The two branches of Aldi in Germany, Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd, are to combine their private label offering in the future, according to media reports.
Lebensmittel Zeitung reported that the two Aldis have commenced a joint purchasing structure for own-brand products, with the alignment of private labels likely to be completed by the end of 2020.
After that date, private label suppliers to either Aldi Nord or Aldi Süd will only deal with one company, according to the media platform.
Joined-Up Thinking
It's not the first time that Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd have adopted a 'joined-up thinking' approach to doing business.
Early last year, Manager Magazin in Germany reported that senior managers from both retail groups met at Aldi Süd's headquarters in Mülheim, to discuss ways in which purchasing, logistics, marketing, quality control and other functions could be harmonised across the two businesses.
The project was dubbed 'Kooperation 'Aldi Nord – Aldi Süd', with Planet Retail hailing the move at the time as a 'positive step forward from an increasingly aligned Aldi organisation'.
Since then, both retailers have collaborated on a number of measures, such as the removal of single use plastic bags from stores, and the sourcing of sustainably-sourced products.
Brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht went their separate ways in 1961, to form Aldi Süd and Aldi Nord respectively; reportedly over a disagreement over the sale of cigarettes in their stores.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
