The March of Aldi; A cultural branding analysis of discount grocer success

This ongoing research project is situated in the broader market conditions of the UK grocery retail sector which is fundamentally changing. Up until the economic crisis a relatively stable market order existed amongst an... [ view full abstract ]

This ongoing research project is situated in the broader market conditions of the UK grocery retail sector which is fundamentally changing. Up until the economic crisis a relatively stable market order existed amongst an oligopoly of retailers. However, this orthodoxy is now changing and ALDI is growing rapidly, outperforming rivals at a time when the overall market has contracted in terms of both volume and sales (Kantar, 2014). The research seeks to provide an explanation for this phenomenon from a cultural marketing perspective. Drawing on cultural branding theory and work in Consumer Culture Theory (CCT) this working paper offers insight into this research project which seeks to explore the socio-cultural processes and media practices through which a retailer brands meanings and associations can be decoupled from its long term conventional signifiers and (re)appropriated to such extent that it appeals to, hitherto in-congruent target audiences (ABC1's) and becomes a socially acceptable or indeed desirable place to shop. In view of this aim, a multi stage research design has been adopted and three broad methods are being utilised. These are (1) long ethnographic interviews, (2) discourse analysis of newspaper articles, and (3) semiotic analysis of ALDI marketing communications.