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Mon, 28 Sep 2026

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 Aldi boss says some of rivals' loyalty discounts 'dupe' customers

Aldi is the only major supermarket chain that doesn't operate a loyalty scheme, which are hugely popular and used by millions of shoppers.

* Aldi's UK boss, Giles Hurley, has accused rival supermarket chains of duping customers with loyalty discounts that start with "unrealistically high prices" and then drop.
* Hurley said discounts should be helpful only when they show realistic reductions, but criticized rivals for offering unrealistic savings.
* Aldi is the only major supermarket chain without a loyalty scheme, which are used by millions of shoppers.
* The UK's competition watchdog investigated loyalty pricing schemes in 2024 and concluded that shoppers "almost always make a genuine saving".
* Former Asda buyer Ged Futter said Hurley's comments were a distraction from Aldi's own struggles in the market.
* Aldi reported a 5% increase in sales to £19bn for 2025, but operating profits fell slightly due to higher staff pay and investments.
* Hurley said the business was attracting new customers despite fierce competition and that Aldi's everyday low prices were more transparent than rivals' promotions.