Source丨Modern Consumption Contemporary young people are becoming more clear-headed in life. This generation's consumption philosophy is like:
"Spending the same money, must satisfy 'want this, want that, and want more'"
"Can buy expensive, but can't be overcharged"
"Not spending money makes me unhappy, spending too much makes me even more unhappy" These maxims, upheld as life credos, all point to the same trend: rational consumption has become the norm, but rational and pragmatic consumers no longer merely seek cost-effectiveness; they make no concessions on quality or price, becoming smarter, more cautious, and wiser in their purchasing decisions, hoping every expense is worth it. Under this consumption trend, ALDI, the "originator of global hard discount community supermarkets," appears full of momentum in the Chinese market—this April, ALDI expanded beyond Shanghai, now laying out stores in Suzhou, Wuxi, Kunshan, Changzhou, and other places. No membership fees at all; over 500 products priced below 9.9 yuan, with continuous price reductions year-round; on Xiaohongshu, young people spontaneously share ALDI shopping guides... Just this past November, ALDI launched a new private brand—the GOURMET series, selecting premium ingredients to offer a week of varied, high-quality food choices. This hard discount leader, originating in Germany in 1913 with over 13,000 stores globally, after six years of development in the Chinese market, is using an experiment of "quality upward, price continuously downward" to tear apart the disguise of high prices and make the outside world re-examine: What exactly is the ultimate goal of hard discount? Why can ALDI, the pioneer of hard discount, achieve "both good and cheap"? "Either compete in high-end for premium margins, or fight for low prices to grab traffic"—this has almost been the main theme of the supermarket retail industry in the past three years. But true progress lies not in creating more desires, but in making good things accessible. To understand ALDI's "contrarian industry norms," one must first return to its genes: hard discount. In ALDI's global expansion, no matter which country it opens stores in, "extreme cost-effectiveness" has always been its most distinctive label. As the originator of global chain hard discount community supermarkets, ALDI was the first to introduce the "hard discount" concept to China, using no-tricks low prices so that everyone, when facing good products, no longer hesitates or steps back due to price, and a good-quality life doesn't require spending unnecessary money. But temporary discounts and promotions are easy; achieving sustainable "quality at low prices" is a systematic project—the success code of its business model benefits from a dual-wheel drive strategy of 90% private brands + selected SKUs: 1. Private brand genes: returning premium space to users In the retail industry, private labels are often seen as tools to compress costs, but ALDI has turned them into an industry barrier. Compared with mainstream domestic supermarkets, Hema NB (renamed to Super Box) has about 60% private label products, while ALDI's in-store private brand products account for over 90%—this means ALDI uses the "private brand" and "direct sourcing" model to cut out intermediate links, maximizing savings on product costs. Additionally, ALDI invests excess marketing and brand fees into product quality, while pursuing extremely efficient operations, maintaining long-term low-price competitiveness through low procurement and operating costs. At the end of 2023, ALDI proposed a new slogan "Good Quality, Low Price," and launched the "Super Value" series private brand tailored to Chinese consumer needs, with extremely low prices while still ensuring quality, such as the 8.9 yuan 800g Super Value soy sauce pork buns, the 2.39 yuan 600g Super Value carrots, and the 9.6 yuan/bottle 980g Super Value whole milk plain yogurt. This super value strategy continues to this day, and the "Super Value" series products have become ALDI's star category, also one of its biggest differentiators from other domestic retailers' private labels. As the first retailer in China to propose the "Super Value" private brand and concept, ALDI has also become a model for other later hard discount entrants in China. More crucially, ALDI's "long-term price reduction" is not a gimmick. ALDI's "long-term low price plan" now covers over 700 products, and in the latest round of price cuts, more than 50 products were added—this steady price strategy directly passes on cost optimization results to users. Some netizens have expressed on social platforms that they are truly controlled by ALDI's prices, calling it almost the "Shanghai currency terminator." 2. Selected SKUs: leveraging fewer but better to drive high-frequency essentials Walking into an ALDI store, the most intuitive feeling is that the shelves are not crowded. ALDI retains only 2-3 of the most popular SKUs per category. The essence of retail is matching, using the least and most precise choices to meet the greatest demand. Behind ALDI's product selection logic is precise user insight: the high-frequency demand of Chinese families for "three meals a day" is essentially about "buying right" rather than "buying more." This selection is not laziness but ALDI's traffic code. Compared with Sam's Club, which has about 4,000 SKUs with 30% private label, covering high-value-added categories like imported food and high-end electronics, ALDI's SKUs are more streamlined, about 2,000, with 90% private label, focusing on high-frequency necessities such as fresh produce, daily necessities, ready-to-eat food, and frozen products, reducing long-tail items. This strategy directly brings two benefits: First, improved supply chain efficiency; centralized procurement gives ALDI strong bargaining power upstream. Second, optimized user experience; reducing decision costs, users don't need to agonize over 10 similar milks—just choose ALDI's bestseller. The "Gourmet" Series: The Quality and Sincerity of Hard Discount Under this logic, ALDI further focuses its promise of "good quality, low price" on the high-frequency scenario of "eating": the newly launched private brand GOURMET series is the best interpretation of this sincerity. So how can good ingredients maintain good quality without straying from the price range of daily consumption? This time, the Gourmet series is also full of sincerity: 1. High-standard, good ingredients to satisfy taste enjoyment Take good ingredients as an example: the newly launched Madagascar Vanilla Soft-Core Croissant, with its filling clearly labeled as from Madagascar, the "vanilla kingdom"—this origin produces 70% of the world's vanilla, and its unique climate conditions ensure the aroma concentration of vanilla pods; the key ingredient of the Italian Red-Braised Angus Beef Puff is Angus beef, known as one of the "world's four famous cattle," with full-chain quality control from pasture to processing, ensuring tenderness and flavor. In addition to good ingredients, some products also incorporate refined craftsmanship and high-quality formulas. The small-mill black sesame oil uses the traditional small-mill technique, a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage in Henan, with low-temperature grinding at 65°C and water substitution extraction to maximize the original aroma and nutrition of sesame; the Smoked Salmon Avocado Cheese Croissant Sandwich references the recipe of a trendy restaurant, using butter croissant, Chilean salmon, avocado puree, and other ingredients to recreate restaurant-level layers. Some office workers shared on Xiaohongshu: "Usually in a hurry for work, and I don't want to settle for a mediocre breakfast. This new Smoked Salmon Avocado Cheese Croissant Sandwich has become my best breakfast partner; office workers must stock up!" Another netizen with high "eating IQ" exclaimed: "The Red-Braised Angus Beef Puff should be eaten hot; the crust is crispy and juicy, and every bite is savory and fragrant!" The Japanese-style Grilled Eel and Grain-Fed Beef Rice Bowl is inspired by a popular item in Japanese restaurants, combining large pieces of eel and grain-fed beef to give everyday meals the satisfaction of "eating out." 2. Breaking "premium = high price": the cost-performance foundation of hard discount These Gourmet products, which "invest" in ingredients and craftsmanship, maintain ALDI's consistent hard discount pricing style. According to the author's comparison, ALDI's pistachio butter has only pistachios as a single ingredient, priced at 37.9 yuan for a 100g jar, nearly one-third cheaper than similar-quality imported nut butters on the market; the Black Truffle Angus Beef Siu Mai uses 120-day grain-fed Angus beef as filling, with 4 pieces selling for only 12.9 yuan, on par with ordinary siu mai from community breakfast shops, but with more refined ingredients. Even ready-to-eat products referencing restaurant recipes, such as croissant sandwiches and eel rice bowls, are priced within the budget of daily meals, under 30 yuan. This contradiction of "quality upgrade but price not upgrade" is precisely ALDI's deliberate intention. It does not define good ingredients with "high-end" or "luxury," but returns to the simplest logic: with an affordable price, you can enjoy quality food made with good ingredients. Standing with consumers to win the ticket to the era of rational consumption Now, the primary issue most retail enterprises face is: how to win back customer trust? ALDI's reputation and performance breakthrough go far beyond selling a few hit products; ALDI has verified with practical actions that the ultimate goal of hard discount should be to stand with consumers. For example, many supermarkets' private labels remain at the stage of "white-label rebranding," with unstable quality and low user trust—their existence is not about "whether customers need it" but "for selling goods" or even "for doing it for the sake of doing it." Private brands should have become an opportunity to re-understand consumers and reconstruct product value, but those obsessed with new tricks still end up not standing on the consumer's side. ALDI's private brands, however, are a "trust system": ALDI does not play word games; it communicates honestly and transparently with consumers. For example, in the new private brand Good Life series launched in the first half of this year, consumers can see clear ingredient lists on the most prominent position on the front of some product packaging. The organic walnut oil in this Gourmet series is made from organic-certified wild walnuts from the high mountains of Guizhou, cold-pressed at low temperatures... These actions are not to please the market but to use the underlying logic of global hard discount to adapt to the real needs of Chinese consumers. During offline research, a mother shared the most direct reason she plans to repurchase this organic walnut oil long-term: "When cooking for kids, the first consideration is health and whether the ingredients are excellent. The ingredient list is clean, only walnuts, with organic certification, and 1 liter at 39.9 yuan is very cost-effective. It's suitable for both cold and hot cooking, great for preparing meals for the kids and the whole family." It can be said that the launch of this Gourmet series is not only an expansion of private brands and product lines but also a deep implementation of ALDI's "hard discount + private brand" business model, truly making everyone feel that a good life doesn't have to be expensive, and quality dining can be everyday. And this is the most precious gift ALDI leaves to the retail industry. [Moving Forward to C-End] The 11th China FMCG Conference Time: March 16-18, 2026 Location: Chengdu, China