Aldi has become the market-leading British supermarket for free-range eggs, new Kantar data has revealed.
The discounter – which said it had invested more than £50m into its egg supply chain over the past two years – sold 196,139 million packs of British Lion free-range eggs in the 12 weeks to 9 June, helping it surpass Tesco as the market leader.
Following the turmoil faced by the egg sector in 2022 and 2023 over low returns from buyers – which led to a major supermarket supply shortage – Aldi has also tied its suppliers to long-term contracts, “providing them with certainty and security for them to continue to invest and grow their businesses”, the retailer said.
“British suppliers are integral to Aldi’s success, and the long-term relationships we’ve formed with our UK egg farmers are something we take great pride in,” said Aldi MD of buying Julie Ashfield.
“Becoming the largest provider of free-range eggs is a great achievement which wouldn’t have been possible without these brilliant suppliers, who continue to work with us to put animal welfare first.”
Aldi’s recent success may be down to the price it charges shoppers for its eggs.
Assosia data for The Grocer’s Key Value Items tracker shows a medium own label six-pack of free-range eggs costs £1.35 on average in Aldi, some 9.4% less than the market average of £1.49 charged by the UK’s biggest seven supermarkets. This price point is matched only by Lidl.
Aldi spent an additional £1.3bn with British food suppliers in 2023 and continued “to invest more than ever before in British suppliers and growers”, it claimed.
The retailer announced a £750m 20-year supply deal with Kent-based fruit farm AC Goatham & Son in May, in a move it said would provide “vital support” for British farmers – assuring them of supply and giving them security.
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