Discount Hofer and Lidl collect: market displacement of the big ones!

Discount Hofer and Lidl collect: market displacement of the big ones!

In the Austrian food trade, the discounter Hofer and Lidl show an impressive upward trend. According to the current Markz data from Nielseniq, which were published by KeyAccount, the two providers managed to increase their market share from 22.7 to 23.5 percent in January. This happened during a phase in which the market leader Spar and his main competitor Rewe (Billa, Penny, ADEG) had to accept slight declines. SPAR lost 0.2 percentage points and is now 37.3 percent, while Rewe is 33.3 percent stable. This development illustrates that the competitive conditions in the food retail trade are further exacerbated and the discounter increasingly exercises competition pressure on the large providers.

strategy change and customer interest

The increase in Hofer and Lidl is particularly due to a strategic realignment. Hofer reduced his non-food range in the summer of 2024 and used the areas obtained for freshen products, which was positively absorbed by consumers, such as Leadersnet " reported . This targeted adaptation to customer needs has strategic relevance, especially in a market that is shaped by a slight increase in sales of 5.5 percent.

While the big discounters are flourishing, smaller providers such as striking, which include the chains near & fresh and Unimarkt, continue to struggle with difficulties. Their market shares go back and are now only 2.1 percent. The closures of numerous Unimarkt branches illustrate the pressing emergency of these smaller actors. However, due to the dynamic turnover of sales of the large players, the entire industry remains much more in competition than the market numbers could suggest. According to Kurier , Spar remains the industry leader, despite its recent declines, which can be attributed to significant customer loyalty and the popular actions such as Stickermania.