By James Wells and Trisha Harris
Aldi Australia has restructured its leadership team and confirmed turnover of $4 billion from its 350 stores.
In the same week that the German retailer walked away with several wine awards at the Sydney International Wine Competition, a Morgan Stanley report claimed that Aldi Australia has reached “critical mass” in Australia with $4 billion in sales from 350 stores and that “this is the point where private label scale is achieved, which is critical for discounters’ buying terms”.
“The report by Morgan Stanley highlights Aldi Australia’s success in the Australian market,” Aldi told TheShout.
“Our unique business model offers a point of difference against our major competitors, and we’re confident in our continued growth across the country. This comes down to our ability to provide customers with a convenient way to shop for high quality products at permanently low prices.
“Our expansion to South Australia and Western Australia will see us open up to 120 new stores in the coming years, giving more Australians the opportunity to discover the Aldi shopping experience. We expect strong demand from local residents, as we have seen along the eastern seaboard.
“Aldi Australia will continue to grow and we anticipate that our national expansion will deliver much needed competition in the supermarket sector and lower prices for consumers.”
Former Aldi Australia group managing director, Tom Daunt, has been promoted to a new position of CEO for Aldi Australasia.
According to a statement from Aldi, Daunt will continue to lead the Australian business and will be supported in his role by Aldi Australia group managing director, Stefan Kopp.
When pressed about Daunt’s ‘Australasia’ title, which normally refers to a role incorporating Australian and New Zealand responsibilities, Aldi was adamant that there will be no trans-Tasman expansion.
“We have no immediate plans to enter the New Zealand market,” an Aldi spokesperson told TheShout.