The serious economic downturn which gripped not just the UK but most of the western world now seems to be over. The UK government is confident that the nation is no longer in recession, and the general upbeat behaviour of most of the country’s larger business organisations seems to back that confidence up. However, a debilitating financial crisis can have a long-term effect on the spending habits of the general public, with many people remaining steadfast in their newly found cautious approach when it comes to finances. No other business sector has felt the impact of this change in consumer habits more than retail.
The financial climate of recent years has aided the rise of the value retailer, particularly in the grocery sector, with the likes of Aldi and Lidl enjoying a huge increase in popularity. German discount chain Lidl has recently announced that they expect their sales to grow this year by 20%, taking their total past the £4 billion mark. The chain is also looking to double in size within the UK over the course of the nest decade
These impressive figures are the clearest warning yet that the so-called ‘big four’ supermarket chains are under threat from discount retailers. Over the past five years, Sainsbury’s has perhaps been the most consistent performer of the supermarket giants, but even they have been feeling the pressure lately, experiencing a slight fall in sales and share price. The latest results from Tesco show a sharp decrease in like-for-like sales, putting the supermarket giant in a much less dominant position than it was five years ago. Despite this, it retains the largest market share of supermarkets within the UK.
Shift in the Marketplace
There has been a definite shift in the retail marketplace over the past half a decade as consumers continue to adopt a frugal approach. Although the country is said to be out of recession and employment figures are positive, the general standard of living has not really grown by any significant amount over the past few years. This had led to a very different look to the nation’s high streets, with value retailers such as Poundland and B&M Stores increasing their visible presence significantly. The number of people shopping online has also increased, and this remains an area where traditional retailers hold the advantage, with the cheaper prices of discount chains being negated by the addition of delivery costs.
When this decade draws to a close, it will be interesting to see how the landscape of the high street will look. If the nation enters a period of prosperity, it remains to be seen whether the meteoric rise of the discount chains will continue.
