Aldi and Lidl double footprint in affluent areas in past five years

How Aldi and Lidl took over the M&S heartlands: Budget supermarket chains have more than doubled their footprint in affluent areas in past five years in a bid to bag middle class shoppers

• Aldi has now replaced Morrisons as one of the ‘Big Four’ supermarkets 
• Read more: List of supermarkets where food prices are rising fastest

Budget supermarket chains Aldi and Lidl have more than doubled their expansion into Britain’s middle class neighbourhoods in just five years.

The retailers have historically targeted consumers in less well-off locations, but a shift in consumer habits has seen their sales soar as middle class shoppers realise how much money they could be saving.

In 2017 more than half (54 per cent) of their new store openings were in areas classed as ‘below average affluence’ according to econcomic census data.

In the same year just 12.4 per cent of new store openings were in posher parts of the country in areas classed as above average affluence.

However, last year’s new store openings saw the chains open just 35.6 per cent located in poorer areas and those in upmarket enclaves had more than doubled to 26.7 per cent of the total.

An Aldi supermarket in Knutsford, Cheshire

A Lidl supermarket pictured in Newbury, Berkshire

Last week a list was published by Lidl detailing hundreds of desired locations in both areas of low and above average affluence. 

The list included new stores in Chelsea, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Marylebone, Soho, Mayfair and Westminster. 

READ MORE: The supermarket single penalty: How shopping for one leaves you out of pocket

Aldi also said it was still aiming to add sites in deprived areas.

Aldi currently has 990 stores and Lidl 960 – both are aiming for more than 1,000 by 2025.

The study by location analysts Maximise UK also shows how Aldi and Lidl are continuing to make inroads on big name rivals such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

Figures released earlier this week showed that, for the first time ever, Aldi now has more than 10 per cent of the grocery market making it one of the ‘Big Four’, replacing Morrisons. 

Lidl, meanwhile, now has 7.6 per cent of the market and is continuing to grow.

Maximise UK CEO David Haywood said shifting towards middle-class areas would make it harder to find new sites as they encroached on the catchments of traditional supermarkets.

‘The tables clearly show how both are moving away from the traditional discount catchments.

‘The issue associated is that you face higher levels of competition and higher branch development costs. This will place pressure on the discount model and branch opening opportunity.

List of stores Lidl wants to open in London 

North and West London

1. Abbots Langley

2. Angel

3. Archway

4. Barnet – East Barnet

5. Barnet – Friern Barnet

6. Barnet – High Barnet/Chipping Barnet

7. Barnet – New Barnet

8. Belsize Park

9. Brentford

10. Bushey

11. Caledonian Road

12. Camden

13. Canonbury

14. Chalk Farm

15. Charing Cross/Covent Garden

16. Chelsea

17. Chiswick

18. Clerkenwell

19. Colindale

20. Cricklewood

21. Ealing – Ealing Broadway

22. Ealing – South Ealing

23. Earl’s Court

24. Eastcote

25. Finchley – Finchley Central

26. Finchley – East Finchley

27. Finchley – North Finchley

28. Fulham

29. Golders Green/Temple Fortune

30. Hampstead

31. Hanworth

32. Harlesden/Stonebridge

33. Harrow – North Harrow

34. Harrow – South Harrow

35. Hendon

36. Highbury

37. Hillingdon

38. Holborn

39. Isleworth

40. Kensal Rise

41. Kensal Town

42. Kensington High Street

43. Kensington – South Kensington

44. Kentish Town (relocating)

45. Kenton

46. Kilburn

47. Kings Cross

48. Kingsbury/Queensbury

49. Knightsbridge

50. Marylebone

51. Mill Hill

52. Neasden

53. North Acton/Park Royal

54. Northwood

55. Notting Hill

56. Osterley

57. Paddington/Bayswater

58. Pimlico

59. Radlett

60. Rickmansworth

61. Ruislip

62. Soho /Mayfair

63. Southall (relocating)

64. Swiss Cottage

65. Uxbridge

66. Victoria/Westminster

67. Watford – Garston

68. Watford – North

69. Watford – West/Croxley Green

70. Wealdstone

71. Wembley – Wembley Central

72. Wembley – Wembley Park (relocation)

73. West Drayton

74. West Hampstead

75. West Hounslow

76. Whetstone

77. White City

78. Willesden

North and East London

1. Aldgate

2. Aveley/Purfleet

3. Barkingside

4. Bethnal Green

5. Bexley

6. Blackfen

7. Blackhorse Road

8. Bounds Green

9. Bow

10. Broadgate

11. Canning Town

12. Chingford – North

13. Chingford – South

14. Clapton

15. Cockfosters

16. Collier Row

17. Crayford

18. Crouch End

19. Dagenham – East

20. Dagenham – South

21. Dalston

22. Dartford – North

23. Debden

24. Edmonton Green (relocation)

25. Elm Park

26. Enfield

27. Finsbury Park (relocation)

28. Gallows Corner

29. Gants Hill

30. Great Cambridge Road

31. Greenwich

32. Hackney – Central

33. Haggerston

34. Highams Park

35. Highgate

36. Homerton

37. Ilford (relocation)

38. Isle of Dogs

39. Kidbrooke

40. Kingsland

41. Lea Bridge

42. Leyton

43. Leytonstone

44. Manor Park

45. Moorgate/Barbican

46. Muswell Hill

47. North Hornchurch

48. North Romford

49. Northumberland Heath

50. Palmers Green

51. Plaistow

52. Plaistow – South

53. Plumstead

54. Ponders End

55. Rainham

56. Seven Sisters

57. Shooters Hill

58. Shoreditch

59. Sidcup

60. Silvertown

61. South Tottenham

62. Southgate

63. St. Paul’s

64. Stamford Hill

65. Stoke Newington

66. Stratford

67. Tottenham

68. Upminster

69. Walthamstow – Wood Street

70. Wanstead

71. Wapping

72. West Ham

73. West Thamesmead

74. Whipps Cross

75. White Hart Lane

76. Winchmore Hill

77. Woodford

78. Woolwich Road

South London

1. Addiscombe

2. Addlestone

3. Ashtead

4. Balham

5. Banstead

6. Barnes

7. Battersea

8. Beckenham (relocation)

9. Bickley

10. Biggin Hill

11. Brockley

12. Bromley – South

13. Camberwell

14. Carshalton

15. Cheam

16. Chertsey

17. Chessington – East

18. Chessington – North

19. Chislehurst

20. Clapham Common

21. Clapham – North

22. Clapham – Old Town

23. Clapham – South

24. Cobham

25. Coulsdon

26. Deptford – High Street

27. Downham

28. Dulwich

29. Earlsfield

30. East Dulwich

31. East Sheen/Mortlake

32. Elephant & Castle

33. Elmers End

34. Esher

35. Ewell

36. Forest Hill

37. Grove Park

38. Ham/Kingston – North

39. Hampton/Hampton Hill

40. Hayes

41. Herne Hill

42. Kingston – Town Centre

43. Lee

44. Lewisham – High Street

45. Lewisham – North

46. London Bridge/Borough

47. Lower Morden

48. Molesey

49. New Cross

50. Nine Elms

51. North Bellingham

52. North Bermondsey

53. North Cheam

54. North Sheen/Kew

55. Orpington

56. Peckham – Rye Lane

57. Penge

58. Petts Wood

59. Purley

60. Raynes Park

61. Richmond – Town Centre

62. Roehampton

63. Selsdon

64. Shepperton

65. Shirley

66. South Norwood

67. Southfields

68. Staines – West

69. Streatham Hill

70. Sunbury

71. Surbiton

72. Sutton

73. Swanley

74. Sydenham (rel)

75. Tadworth

76. Teddington

77. Thames Ditton

78. Tolworth

79. Tulse Hill

80. Twickenham

81. Vauxhall

82. Walton-on-Thames

83. Wandsworth

84. Wandsworth – York Road

85. Waterloo

86. West Norwood

87. Weybridge

88. Whyteleafe/Kenley

89. Wimbledon

90. Wimbledon Chase

91. Worcester Park

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