Aldi headquarters increases prices by 20 to 50 per cent – are Australian stores next?
Aldi has announced a staggering 20 to 50 per cent price increase on common household items at its German stores in response to current global events.
From Monday April 4 until further notice, meat, sausage products and butter will be affected by the price rise at Aldi supermarkets in Germany.
The news is worrying for Australians who are already battling steep increases in supermarket prices.
"Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, we're witnessing jumps in purchase prices that we have not experienced in this way before," Aldi spokesperson Florian Scholbeck told a German press agency.
The German Retail Federation (HDE) has also warned consumers that price increases will likely continue in response to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Will Aldi’s Australian stores be affected by the international price hikes?
An Aldi Australia spokesperson told Yahoo News that the retailer is committed to offering the lowest prices for its Aussie customers, while noting that price changes are not totally dismissible.
“While we can’t speak to the specific challenges in our European operations, we can confirm that even if prices on products do increase locally we are committed to keeping them as the lowest in the market for our Australian customers,” the spokesperson said.
“Every aspect of Aldi in Australia was built to withstand inflationary pressure, from our smaller format stores to our carefully curated private label range of groceries."
“Every day, customers are discovering how much they can save by shopping for their groceries at Aldi, and it is our unwavering priority to continue to have the lowest prices on high quality products, no matter what happens in the world around us," the spokesperson added.
Grocery price rises stinging at Coles, Woolworths
Throughout 2022, Aussies have watched as vegetables and soft drink prices have climbed at Aldi’s rivals Coles and Woolworths.
In response to customer outrage over sudden soft drink increases, a Woolworths spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia that their prices reflected wholesale cost increases from their suppliers, such as Asahi.
“In response to a wholesale cost increase from the supplier, we've updated our retail prices,” said the spokesperson.
A Coles representative previously told Yahoo News that several factors pertaining to current events are to blame for the increases.
"We appreciate that there are a number of factors driving inflation for all retailers, including increases in the cost of raw materials, energy price rises, freight costs, extreme weather events and ongoing Covid-19 impacts," a Coles spokesperson said.
The price rises have seen many customers turning to price comparison apps to snag the lowest price on their favourite household items.
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