The Germans are regarded as price conscious - especially when it comes to food. This helped discounters to conquer the market for decades and ultimately forced supermarkets to rethink their position. And with success, now the supermarkets grow twice as fast compared to their discount competitors. This is shown by the most recent data in the compendium "EHI handelsdaten aktuell 2015". The compendium is published by the EHI Retail Institute and contains recent trade data.
From bargain hunters to gastronomes
The consumer behaviour of the Germans doesn’t seem to be guided just by the price. This will benefit the supermarkets. In 2014 the growth of supermarkets, small as well as large, is with an average of 2.8 percent twice as high as that of the discounters. This can be seen as a clear indicator that consumers appreciate diversity and atmosphere when shopping. The repositioning of the supermarkets with a focus on quality, freshness, atmosphere, information and advice etc. is paying off.
The social development towards appreciating food more is also reflected in macroeconomic figures. The share private consumers spend in food retail has risen to 9.11 percent according to the Federal Statistical Office. That amounted to 20 billion Euro, now Germans spend more in grocery stores than in 2011.
More information: http://www.handelsdaten.de/branchen/lebensmittelhandel
Comprehensive statistical data on trade, such as cost and performance indicators, structural data or sales figures are added to the EHI statistics database 'handelsdaten.de'. And available in book form, the recently published "handelsdaten aktuell 2015". Available at: www.ehi-shop.de/handelsdaten-aktuell-2015