Aldi and Asda have come up trumps in terms of attracting new shoppers to their stores during the most recent UK lockdown period, new data from Shoppercentric has found.
When asked which grocery retailer they had used for the first time ever during the latest lockdown, which was implemented in December 2020, 7% of respondents said Aldi, 6% said Asda and 5% said Tesco.
Elsewhere, 4% of respondents said that they shopped at Lidl or Sainsbury's for the first time during the recent lockdown, while 2% said that they were new shoppers at Morrisons.
The data was revealed in Shoppercentric's StockTake 2021 Report, which showed that all the UK retail multiples have seen their shopper base become more mobile as a result of the pandemic.
“Retailers will need to keep a keen eye on where this nets out – or proactively choose to steer it,” said Jamie Rayner, Managing Director of Shoppercentric. “From a retailer’s perspective, this represents an opportunity to win over a large influx in new shoppers as well as a risk of permanently losing loyal shoppers by doing nothing.”
Store Formats
The study also found that large-format bricks and mortar stores have been most affected by the fallout from COVID-19, despite this channel being the go-to for main shipping missions.
Online is now fulfilling the same role in many households, Shoppercentric said, while many shoppers have also 'rediscovered' local independents and convenience stores.
Notably, Aldi and Lidl, which boast smaller ranges and narrower aisles, have 'struggled to fulfil more fearful shoppers’ needs to do a complete shop in one store', according to Shoppercentric.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Conor Farrelly. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
