Après une excellente année 2008 et alors que la période de crise laissait présager une belle croissance au hard discount, la part de marché de celui-ci est en régression depuis 2009.
La principale cause généralement citée* est la politique tarifaire agressive super and hypermarkets , which explain the decrease in the average basket of hard discount stores including the most expensive products. If Leclerc (still very aggressive on prices) has had recently quit his fault Guarantee Promo readability, other groups have joined the race at low price: for example Intermarché and his campaign on the "good deals", Auchan and communication focused mainly on price, and Carrefour and its range of products at low prices (Carrefour Discount) whose prices are aligned with those of discount stores. What alternative so for discounters ? Se differentiate and innovate.
Why not indeed, said the LSA puique as last May, nearly 60% of consumers when they speak speak fun shopping in supermarkets and half the French say they are willing to forego their usual product for a novelty!
To cope, discounters (hard and soft) so they change course .
Ed / Dia: launches last June loyalty card in France with a system for immediate delivery twice a month for fifteen days.
Leader Price: Integrating this month of national brands in its linear 250 references about this fall (~ 7% of supply), expands its range of fresh produce and launch the Bio discount, more in line with consumer expectations and Urban responding to the problem of limited budget
Netto: single Hard discounter to succeed at the game, benefited from the success of its new concept: building supply, introduction of national brands, creating a private label Netto and implementation of a promotion system consisting of original batch virtual regressive (the more you buy, the more the discount is significant) - Brezet Frederick, Director of the brand speaks of a " hard discount supermarket, with the convenience of buying supermarket "
The challenge of the hard discounters, which already have the competitive advantage of proximity but are losing the price, is differentiation.
In parallel, key issues for large signs , super and hypermarkets, are of course their price positioning but also ad aptation to new shopping patterns , mainly through close ( see my article on this blog ) and innovations in multi .
The question today on the positioning of actors hard discount who behave like supermarkets is whether they are not walking into a middle way, to obscure the consumer who stands to lose heavily in readability ...
*: In addition to aggressive pricing of major retailers, you can also add to the reasons for the loss of speed of the hard discount: 1. because of the crisis, diminishing food budget poorest people, the main clientele of hard discounters 2. The repeal of the Galland law which allowed a lower price les marques nationales
Sources : LSA numéros de Mai-Juin-Juillet 2010, Linéaires 07/12/09 "Nouveau concept Netto", Etude Precepta Mai 2009 "Enjeux de la distribution alimentaire", L'Expansion 13/07/10, Etude LSA / Nielsen 2009 "Nouvelle année record pour le hard discount"
