Aldi

German supermarket chains such as Edeka and Rewe have achieved stronger growth figures in 2019 than hard discounters Aldi and Lidl. Which lessons are there to learn from this remarkable feat?

Three supermarket chains (Carrefour Market, Colruyt and Aldi) top the list of 100 largest Belgian store chains in terms of retail space. Shoe chain Bristol is rising fast, as are Lapperre, Oh'Green and Maxi Toys. In terms of number of stores, the banks are still in the lead.

Morrisons announces a major restructuring in which 3,000 management jobs will disappear. At the same time, the British supermarket chain wants to create 7,000 new jobs "on the shop floor".

Retailers in the Benelux will face declining consumer confidence and increasing competition in the coming years, credit rating agency Moody’s says in a new report. Traditional retail chains are forced to make high investments due to the growth of online retail, which has a negative impact on profits and creditworthiness.
 

Hard discounters lost market share in the Netherlands last year, which is remarkable. Market leader Albert Heijn remained stable, the big winner being Jumbo, partly thanks to acquisitions.

What will 2020 bring for the retail sector? Growing tensions between retailers and their suppliers, fears EuroCommerce director-general Christian Verschueren. He hopes that the new European Commission will put a strong stop to increasing protectionism.

The supermarket Dutch chain Jumbo recently opened in Rijkevorsel, its second on Belgian soil, can achieve a local market share of 21.5 % by 2020. The newcomer would hurt Albert Heijn, Aldi and Lidl in particular, according to a forecast by analyst Shopperware.