Discounters saw strong current value growth in South Africa in 2024. With more than 40% of the population still depending on social grants to survive, discounters outlets continue to benefit from their strategic locations in lower-income areas. Demand is also supported by the government's extension of the ZAR350 grant for unemployed individuals to assist them in purchasing essential products. The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) calls on recipients to rely on such stores to retrieve

As the local economy contracted in 2024 for the second consecutive year and consumer confidence remained at a low level, discounters in Germany continued to outperform overall grocery retailers in value growth terms. Despite a slowdown compared to 2023, largely due to lower inflation for food and beverages, discounters appealed to price-sensitive consumers relying on promotions and their greater propensity to visit several chains to identify the best price for their shopping basket.

Discounters continued to outperform other modern grocery formats in Morocco during 2024, driven by aggressive network expansion and an increasingly price-sensitive consumer base. The rise of discounters has been particularly noticeable in large urban centres such as Casablanca, Rabat and Tangier, where consumers are increasingly drawn to no-frills shopping experiences that combine affordability with efficiency. The appeal lies in a curated assortment of competitively priced private label product

Discounters in Mexico posted strong current value growth in 2024. Despite a relatively stable economic environment, most Mexican consumers continue to prioritise getting the most value for their money, and so consistently seek out the lowest prices. Most hard discounters are neighbourhood stores located in densely populated, low- to middle-income areas, offering a balance between convenience and competitive pricing.

Discounters emerged as the most dynamic channel in retailing in 2024, with strong double-digit growth driven by inflationary pressure and currency depreciation. Soaring food prices made consumers more price sensitive and increased demand for affordable options, allowing discounters to position themselves as attractive alternatives to traditional and modern retail. By expanding private label offerings that are locally sourced, discounters minimised reliance on costly imports and appealed to budge

Discounters is a highly popular channel among Swiss consumers and it continued to see strong and stable growth in 2024 due to the ongoing price sensitivity brought on by the recent financial insecurity and strain. Factors such as elevated inflation, lower disposable income, the aftermath of COVID-19, and Russia’s war in Ukraine have all impacted the economy and pushed consumers towards budget saving solutions, such as shopping at discounters. The lower prices of discounters’ private label produc

Discounters in the United Arab Emirates continued to record the most dynamic value growth within grocery retailers in 2024, consistently attracting consumers seeking value for their money. The channel's performance was bolstered by a shift in consumer preferences, with more households developing a favourable perception of private label products compared to branded items across different income groups.

In 2024, discount retailers experienced significant growth in Egypt as consumers sought greater value in the face of persistent inflation and economic uncertainty. Many households prioritised spending on essential goods, particularly food, driving increased footfall in discount stores. The channel benefited from a surge in store openings, which enhanced access and visibility, particularly in underserved areas. At the same time, the depreciation of the Egyptian pound and rising import costs – exa

Discounters in the UK remained a dynamic performer in 2024, with the channel continuing to record double-digit current value growth amid persistent cost-of-living challenges stemming from a high inflationary wave that began in 2022 with the war in Ukraine. While inflation levels in the UK have been consistently dropping since then, many local consumers continued to be challenged by weak disposable incomes due to economic turmoil. In addition, the price of energy and food remained a significant b

In a highly competitive market, price competition remained fierce in Denmark with grocery retailers under pressure as consumers tightened their purse strings in response to the challenging economic landscape. Discounters are at the forefront of this battle, with players within this channel striving to offer the lowest prices while maintaining profitability. With consumers continuing to struggle with high interest rates and price inflation there was a further shift from other channels towards dis

Discounters in the Czech Republic continued to see positive, albeit slight, current value growth in 2024. Stronger growth in 2022 and 2023 was due to higher prices related to high inflation. The spikes in prices worsened the economic situation for consumers, resulting in a decline in the volume of purchases in general. In 2024, much lower inflation and slower unit price rises eased the pressure on households, increasing purchases but dampening current value growth. Overall, discounters derived b

In 2024, retail value sales increased by 6% in discounters in Slovakia. The thrifty shopping behaviour of consumers and the challenging economic situation for Slovak households have benefited the performance of discount retailers, which are perceived as a strong value-for-money option by local shoppers. Retail price growth continued to drive the increase in value sales in 2024, even though inflation slowed significantly compared to 2023. Notable innovations in product advertising, smartphone ads

The total number of outlets of discounters declined in South Korea in 2024, but despite this, sales increased in current value terms. Store closures were driven by cost-cutting measures, operational efficiency strategies, and market saturation in certain areas. Despite fewer locations, strong demand for value for money products and higher basket sizes per visit contributed to value growth for discounters, and it saw stronger growth than overall grocery retailers. Economic factors, including high

Value sales through discounters in Australia fell in 2024, as the only brand in the channel, Aldi, closed underperforming stores. Nevertheless, value sales and store count remained significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels, with discounters still proving popular with price-sensitive consumers at the end of the review period due to elevated cost pressures, despite an easing of inflation in the local market. Aldi’s range of affordable options has influenced how other grocery retailers conduct

Retail value sales continued to grow rapidly in discounters, albeit from a low base, as this is a small category in Saudi Arabia. Outlet expansion in the discounter channel was aggressive in 2024, led by Al Dukan Retailing Co which is now backed by Kanyon Ltd, one of the leading discount retailers in the Middle East and North Africa. Discounters have been growing in popularity, notably among consumers who remain relatively price-sensitive due to inflationary pressures and the introduction of VAT

Discounters continued to benefit from consumers’ ongoing price-sensitivity in Portugal in 2024. Although interest rates have come down and stabilised since the high of 2022, the repercussions of this continue to affect the prices of goods and utilities, leading to reduced consumer spending power and more strategic purchasing habits. That said, within this economic landscape, discounters face competition from other grocery channels such as supermarkets, which are increasingly placing a strong foc

Discounters in Chile remained a smaller grocery retail channel in the local market, with many local consumers still preferring to frequent supermarkets and hypermarkets in general, even with the slowdown of the economy in the last 2-3 years of the review period. While known for somewhat convenient prices, access to locations can sometimes be complicated and the limited variety of products means consumers often need to complement their shopping in other channels.

Discounters in Turkey emerged as a highly dynamic format in the grocery retail sector in 2024, with its success driven in large part by further openings of new outlets and their strategic locations in neighbourhoods, making them easily accessible. This positioning enables discounters to compete with small local grocers (bakkals). However, thanks to their larger selling space, discounters not only provide a wider variety of products but also offer them at significantly lower prices compared to ba

Discounters remained the single largest channel within grocery retailers in Hungary by value in 2024, and showed the fastest development in terms of growth in sales, outlet numbers and selling space. These results were underpinned by enduring appreciation for the competitive price positioning of this format, which has become increasingly attractive to local consumers in recent years as high inflation has eroded purchasing power and squeezed household budgets. They also reflected the aggressive e

As local consumers became more price-sensitive, discounters in Malaysia benefited from the challenging macroeconomic environment in 2024. Strong pressure on household budgets and the search for affordable products increased interest in discounting and price promotions, and formats like discounters. This trend drove the opening of more new outlets and accelerated retail current value growth, compared with 2023. The opening of new outlets increased the visibility of discounters, with a special foc

Discounters registered only modest growth in current value terms in the Philippines in 2024, in light of a limited store count and fierce competition with other retailers. With the revival of hectic pre-pandemic lifestyles, including the return of consumers to their physical offices, Filipinos were more likely to seek out smaller-format stores, such as convenience stores, which enabled a faster shopping experience. These were typically located close to consumers’ homes or workplaces, as well as

With consumers in Romania continuing to be highly price sensitive in 2024, due to several years of high inflation, discounters continued to perform strongly, due to the affordable pricing of private label offerings. In fact, discounters were the best performing grocery retailers in terms of value growth. There was also further opening of new outlets.

Poland’s discounters channel demonstrated robust growth within grocery retail market in 2024, with expansion is driven by both an increase in store count and intensive customer acquisition strategies - such as frequent and eye-catching promotions, for example, Polish consumers are prioritising cost savings and seeking out cheaper products, promotions and private label options. Discount stores are capitalising on this trend, offering competitive prices, a wide product range and convenient locatio

Discounters saw healthy value sales in Sweden in 2024, thanks to the ongoing segment of consumers who continue to be budget-conscious. Although the Swedish economy showed signs of improvement in 2024, with lower inflation, growing real wages, and improving consumer spending confidence, many people remain price-sensitive and continue to seek value for money. Indeed, there is an element of polarisation occurring in retail in Sweden. As the country’s economy improves, some consumers are once again