Impact of Globalization on Aldi - Grocery Stores
{draw:frame} {text:change-start} {text:change-start} Globalization Impact on Aldi {text:change-end} {text:change-start} (Grocery Stores). {text:change-end} {text:change-start} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} {text:change} Spring 2009 Aldo Gonz {text:change-start} a {text:change-end} {text:change} lez {text:change} {text:change-start} {text:change-start} {text:change-start} {text:change} {text:change} History of ALDI, its core business and philosophy Established in 1913 in Germany, ALDI operates what are known in the grocery business as "limited-assortment" stores or "hard discounters." ALDI has taken this retail concept, which features low overhead and scanty selection, to its leanest, meanest extreme. Unlike the vast majority of supermarket chains, ALDI store carries about 1,400 regularly-stocked items, including fresh meat, and, in certain locations, beer and wine, of which nearly all are ALDI, select brands. Though the original ALDI concept has been modified somewhat to accommodate the ever-changing tastes and preferences, the core concept and philosophy remains: “Incredible Value Every Day.” By limiting consumer choice, ALDI saves money in several ways. ALDI stores are correspondingly small--usually 8,000 to 15,000 square feet--compared to the 50,000 to 125,000 square feet typically utilized by competitors with larger catalogs of items. ALDI is currently under the direction of Theo Albrecht Jr. with their global Headquarters located in Essen, Germany, ALDI reported sales in 2007 were about $47 Bi. Drivers of globalization in the retail industry While we can talk about which are the drivers of globalization that has most impacted the retail industry, I think it is appropriate to state that the retail business as much as many other business in the world, have been exposed to the globalization effect mainly driven by the creation of the Internet, significant improvement and growth of the logistics routes and companies