I think 365 is a way to prepare for an Aldi major expansion in the US. They already shred their way through the UK. Am I alone in this thought?
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Trader Joe's kicks a$$ on sales per square foot. They are a privately held company co-owned by the same German firm that owns Aldi. They are consistently named by consumers in survey after survey as one of the top 3 grocers for overall level of service, the others being Wegman's and Publix. TJ's is growing, hasn't laid anyone off ever, and isn't stopping to give a crap about 365 or any other of our ideas. WFM is obsessed with TJ's but can never ever hope to duplicate their logistics and efficiencies, nor their everyday low pricing model, atmosphere, service or selection. They are 20 years ahead of us. I agree that some Aldi stores really stink, the checkout requires a lot of work because you have to bag or box your own groceries and the lines can be long but they move. Aldi near me is always busy and actually, I like their brands just fine. The "Simply Organic" products are outstanding. And everything in there is of course a lot lower-priced. Aldi needs to improve its execution for sure but their positioning is about saving money, whatever it takes.
Problem with Aldi is that shopping there super s---s. There's no one to help you, the check out experience blows (you have big roller belts and have to bag your own stuff), they have a very limited selection and their store brands are so ghetto, like something out of Repo Man.
Yeah, it's cheap, but it's like the Spirit Airlines of grocery shopping.
Post ID: @J0vrQrK-pga ---Yes, you are right, "smart management" mainly on the highest regional and particularly global level is what Whole Foods lacks. They were able to skate through during the boom years when the economy was great and they were the only one selling organics. Not anymore. Now the lack of sensible, proactive leadership is glaringly apparent. When it came to laying people off, they should have started with the global office as well as a few of the regional ones. It is the lack of integrity, intelligence, corruption and cronyism that is responsible for WFM's present dire state. Yet it's the very thing they refuse to change---
Aldi's is not a dud, you must not be keeping up with their financials, this was mentioned in other post but the are expanding, and by 2018 should finally make it to the Westcoast, the only way this will not happen or happen slower is if Whole Foods cranks out more of the 365 stores. Trader Joes, they are the dud, and their financials and outlook is about on par with the regular WF stores now
Aldi is a dud, sorry... TJ, thats a different story, very efficient, rev per sqft thru the roof
It's not so much about Aldi as it is about Aldi's sister store, Trader Joe's. They're separate subsidiaries of the same parent company. Although where I live now there is no TJ's, and Aldi is carrying more and more natural/organic and gluten free items. Still, it's really about TJ's. Our leadership is OBSESSED with them yet will never be able to match the efficiency, flexibility and simplicity of TJ's (or numerous other streamlined retailers loaded with talent and smart management).