Re: Result!

[Fran]

Do they do that a lot in Italy, then?

[:Jerry:]

No, I'm agreeing with Andy on what you implied - that Lidl is somehow a threat to them. Tesco are not concerned about the Lidl's of the world but they still want to know what is happening, Tesco customers are unlikely to go off and shop at Lidl but Lidl customers are highly likely to start shopping at Tesco.

[:Jerry:]

Or why it DOES NOT work, so that Tesco do not implement what doesn't work, we don't see to many Euro-pallets on the retail floor on Tesco's, unlike Lidl, now if the Lidl type store worked so well at attracting custom don't you think there would be?...

They also did the

though you said that you work in the industry, so why are you citing a (biased) newspaper (more interested in ratings than accuracy) and not a trade journal? Duh!

[:Jerry:]

No, Waitrose.

[The Older Gentleman]

Iceland's core business is frozen food, although the chain does sell other products. It's not really comparing apples with apples.

KwikSave - dunno. It's been years since I've even seen a KS shop, but I seriously doubt it has the product range of Aldi or Lidl. Happy to be proved wrong, as ever.

[The Older Gentleman]

I was replying to a posting referring to "some scandal or other".

But, since you ask, I shouldn't think there's a supermarket chain anywhere that hasn't been done for selling iffy products at one time or another.

[:Jerry:]

One word: Bull-shit!

[Andy Hall]

Poor displays, poor organisation, poor customer service - hardly compelling.

It's not interesting. If the supplier can't be bothered to present his goods properly then I'm not going to do business with him. Simple as that.

I did go into one in Germany a few months ago, and would have to disagree with you. Cheap and crap were my impressions.

[Steve Firth]

And again you try to confound issues this time by the use of weak language. The description "iffy products" can apply to anything from selling out of date food to things like the screwdriver that I was given as a present, bought in Tesco, failed on Boxing Day. What Lidl and Aldi did was to enter into an arrangement to pass off industrial lubricant as fit for human consumption. Which is IMO in a different league.

[Steve Firth]

I noticed last time that I was up in Middlesbrough that Tesco now seems to have a policy of building bright, shiny, clean new stores within walking distance of established Lidl and Aldi stores. That might have been a consequence of their research into the business methods of the discounters.

[Andy Hall]

No, are you?

Precisely what I said.

Somerfield was a lost cause to begin with. Combining it with Kwik Save......

Not at all.

Exactly. Not everybody buys on price.

I have stated the reasons quite clearly:

1) I value customer service and product quality above price

2) I consider poor customer service, which includes poor display of goods and keeping customers waiting at the checkout through lack of staff to be completely unacceptable.

Discount supermarkets don't come close to meeting either criterion.

Clear enough for you?

[Andy Hall]

Please explain this:

for yourself whether this was deliberate customer deception or just incompetence.

[Andy Hall]

Exactly the point.

Exploring a potential business opportunity does not equate to responding to a threat.

[Owain]

It appears not with such emphasis on the quickly. Certainly my local Aldi manage to scan items through much more quikly than anyone in Tesco.

Owain

[Fran]

You are so wrong that it's hard to know where to start.

[Andy Hall]

You are missing the point.

Exploring a business opportunity does not equate to responsing to a threat.

The whole point of mocking up a store is to be able to duplicate the environment of the discount place - i.e. minimising staff and customer service, minimising handling of goods for display and so on; and probably to use a different brand for the store.

If the objective was just to capture some of the discount market on price, it can be much more easily achieved by augmenting the low end product line.

[Fran]

Cite?

[Fran]

Well, would you understand the financial reports cited?

[Fran]

Germany != the UK.

[Andy Hall]

I never assume especially in the case of surveys.

One can achieve whatever outcome is wanted simply by choosing the questions.