Aldi’s UK chief has claimed rival supermarkets are “duping” customers’ and making it more difficult for them to plan their budgets.
Giles Hurley used the discounter’s annual results as a new opportunity to “call out” rivals’ loyalty discounts as “perceived rather than real”.
He said research showed the discount across a basket of shopping at Aldi versus traditional supermarkets stood at 24%, up from 18% in January, even counting rivals’ loyalty prices. The growing gap was thanks to Aldi’s “everyday low prices, not short-lived offers that disappear the following week”, he said.
“We have a long-lasting belief in the importance of everyday low pricing,” said Hurley. “That gives customer certainty that they’re getting the best value every day in every basket. And when it comes to the loyalty propositions that other supermarkets offer… I do think question marks remain around how much of the value is perceived rather than real.”
He added: “Of course, promotions can supplement everyday low prices when they’re meaningful, when they’re real, and when they show realistic reductions.
“However, when promotions start with unrealistically high prices and come down to prices which aren’t that competitive and dupe customers, we would view that as loyalty that isn’t supportive, isn’t transparent and doesn’t help customers plan and budget.”
The government has promised a consultation this autumn on “whether tactics such as fake ‘was’ prices, invented discounts and misleading recommended retail prices should be added to the list of practices banned”.
Hurley first launched an attack on rivals’ loyalty schemes in August, claiming in an article for The Mail’s This is Money that “PM Andy Burnham is right to challenge fake ‘was’ prices”.
Hurley’s latest comments came as Aldi today posted a 5% jump in annual turnover to £19bn in the 12 months to 31 December.
Aldi said record sales in 2025 were driven by “more customers buying more products in more stores”, thanks to a “relentless focus on simple, everyday low prices”.
Operating profit was flat for the year at £432.9m as it continued to invest in prices, infrastructure and staff pay.
“The cost of food remains one of the biggest pressures on households across the country,” said Hurley. “Recent droughts at home and events overseas have highlighted just how fragile our food system is and why food security must be a long-term national priority.
“We’re working hard to make good food more affordable for every family – cutting prices on everyday essentials, signing long-term supplier agreements to help increase home-grown production, and continuing to bring affordable groceries to even more communities through our store opening programme.”
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