Aldi Hungary to open 40 new stores, chooses quality over price

Discounter Aldi plans to open forty new stores in Hungary by the end of 2014, lifting the total number of stores to 110. In each of the next three years, the chain hopes to open between ten and fifteen stores, especially in Budapest and the county capitals, as spokesman Tibor Székács told Hungarian newspaper Napi Gazdaság.

Looking to increase market share through new stores…

Aldi has only been active in Hungary since 2008, and has built 75 stores since then – of which 13 in Budapest alone. The group hopes to open three more stores before the end of the year, which should allow to lift turnover growth in the double figures. To achieve a significant market share (currently only at 1 to 2%), Aldi Süd is also looking for possible acquisitions – and that would be a first for Aldi in Hungary.

… and through a quality boost

Spokesman Székács then surprised with a plea for quality over prices: he said Aldi Hungary aimed for “exclusivity in the stores, well educated staff and excellent parking places” to earn them a place in the Hungarian market. Székács also stated that “certain people, in putting price before quality, have destroyed the image of private labels because of their short term thinking.” “People have to understand that a certain quality comes with a certain price”, were the surprising words of Aldi’s spokesman.