“Lidl maintains its lead over Albert Heijn in Flanders”

The claim that Albert Heijn has now surpassed Lidl in market share in Flanders needs to be qualified, says spokesperson Isabelle Colbrandt. Based on the YouGov figures on a MAT basis, the discounter retains its lead.

“Comparing apples to apples”

“We haven’t been overtaken by Albert Heijn in Flanders,” Colbrandt tells RetailDetail. She backs this up with figures: according to research firm YouGov, Lidl’s national market share in August (MAT) was 9.4%. In Flanders, it was 9.2%, and in Wallonia, 9.8%. “Competition is fiercer in Flanders than in Wallonia, but we continue to grow there.” Growth stood at 0.1% in Flanders, 0.3% in Wallonia, and 0.2% nationally.

“We’ve been relying on YouGov’s figures for years because they also include weighted fresh products. We want to compare apples to apples: after all, as the fresh produce champion, we score disproportionately high in categories such as vegetables, fruit, and meat.” In YouGov’s first Belgian Fresh Report, published in June, Belgian consumers ranked Lidl as the number one retailer for fresh products, and the discounter also scored highest in the categories of fruits and vegetables and bread & baked goods.

Lidl is responding to the claim that Albert Heijn is now larger in Flanders, a statement made by marketing director Els Lagrou at RetailDetail’s Marketing Day last week. However, she was basing her comments on year-to-date figures, and that explains the discrepancy, says spokesperson Ann Maes: according to her, Albert Heijn’s YTD market share in Flanders stands at 9.8 per cent.