Slovenian consumers spend 31% of their grocery shopping budget in discount supermarkets, according to a poll conducted by local daily Dnevnik.
Chains like Hofer, Lidl and Eurospin last year recorded a total sales revenue of €810 million and their market share of retail sales doubled in just a few years.
Back in 2009, the discounters accounted for 12% of total retail sales, while in 2014 their share increased to 24%.
This growth trend can be explained by the effects of the financial crisis that have changed the habits of consumers who visit more stores while shopping and select items according to price and quality.
The foreign discount chains have adapted to the local market and now offer products from local manufacturers, which tends to attract even more customers.
Hofer (Aldi) currently has 81 stores and ended 2015 with a turnover of €396 million, nearly €100 million more than Lidl (47 stores) and €200 million more than Italian rival Eurospin (46 stores).
In terms of turnover, Hofer leads with €396.5 million (+12% y/y), followed by Lidl with €300.2 million (+8%) and Eurospin with €112.4 million (+7%).
Overall, Mercator and Spar control almost a quarter of the grocery retail market, while local company Tuš, faced with financial problems, is seeing declining sales.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
