Will the two Aldis merge?
Speculation is rising that Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd are actively pursuing a plan to merge by 2022. German website Manager Magazin claims both discounters decided on the merger two years ago in an internal document that details how both branches will strive to form an association, raising efficiency and cutting staff costs.
Aldi Süd says that the two organisations are working closer together than ever, but denies that a formal merger is planned.
The website attributes the planned merger to the increased competition both Aldis met in the last few years from supermarkets in Germany as well from the discounter Lidl and the online retailer Amazon.
The first steps that enable a merger have already been taken. Both companies have coordinated their technology infrastructure and made an agreement with a mutual credit card service provider and with a marketing agency. Last year, both branches also announced they would join forces on their private label range.
North and South split in 1961, due to a difference in opinion between the founding brothers Theo and Karl Albrecht on the sale of cigarettes. All family members who were involved in the split have passed away, making a merger possible. Together the discounters have 11,000 stores on four continents.
source PLMA