Aldi, Edeka & Co.: Prices for private labels are rising much faster than for branded items
Created: 06/09/2022 10:31 am
By: Lisa Mayerhofer
According to an analysis, supermarkets such as Edeka, Aldi or Rewe have increased the prices of their own brands significantly in recent months.
Hamburg – Good and cheap by no means: This year, the supermarkets and discounters have given their own brands substantial price increases.
This was the result of a receipt data analysis by the price comparison app Smhaggle.
According to this, the prices for own brands such as "Gut & Billig" or "Ja" have risen more than those for branded items such as Coca-Cola or Barilla.
Edeka and Rewe: price surcharges for the own brands "Gut & Billig" and "Ja"
Aldi's own brands, for example, recorded price increases of 18 percent, while branded items were only 9.2 percent more expensive, the
Lebensmittelzeitung
reports , citing the Smhaggle evaluation.
At Edeka, the own brand “Gut & Billig” has increased by 24 percent, while branded items have increased by 12.8 percent.
A similar picture emerges at Rewe: Here, too, the private label “Ja” now costs an average of 24 percent more, while branded items are 11.8 percent higher.
According to the analysis, there were price increases for Rewe's own brand "Ja" by an average of 24 percent.
(Archive image) © Martin Wagner/Imago
This is particularly surprising, since the supermarkets are attacking the manufacturers of branded goods because of their price demands.
The latest example is a malicious Facebook post by the Edeka subsidiary Netto about the confectionery manufacturer Mars.
It says: “The manufacturer Mars demands an unreasonable price increase.
We at Netto fight for you and offer you an alternative that is at least 64 percent cheaper with our own brands, but which tastes 100 percent just as good.” Manufacturers of other brands such as Milka even had delivery stops due to a price war with Edeka.
Table: Price increases for private labels more than for branded items
In the meantime, however, the supermarkets have increased the prices for their own brands even more drastically, as a table from the receipt data analysis shows as an example.
It compares the price increases of private label products compared to their branded counterparts.
For example, the price of Kerrygold butter is up 20.8 percent, while private label butter is up 38.8 percent – and Barilla spaghetti is now 17.8 percent more, compared to private label spaghetti by 36 percent , 9 percent more expensive.
Notes on the tables: Branded products are available from all dealers. The prices indicated may vary regionally and in markets run by merchants. Private label products are products that are sold under the respective retailer's own trademarks. These products are also available across retailers and are usually offered at the same price.
Branded products or own brands?
This saves money when shopping in supermarkets
The Smhaggle price comparison app works by users uploading receipts.
This allows the receipt data to be analysed, price fluctuations for the products of all supermarkets to be tracked and to be determined where consumer goods are currently cheapest.
According to the founder and CEO Sven Reuter, Smhaggle has 250,000 users in Germany.
Reuter suspects that retailers want to optimize their earnings behind the strong price increases for private labels.
According to the
Lebensmittelzeitung
, supermarket chains such as Edeka or Rewe are trying to buck the downward trend.
According to the market research company GfK, they have lost four percent in sales, while the pressure from discounter competition is growing.
Reuter advises consumers who want to save money when shopping in supermarkets to plan their purchases carefully beforehand and to get an overview of the special offers first.
Anyone who buys long-lasting products such as coffee, jam or pasta on special offers can save money.
"Branded products are sometimes even cheaper than own brands," says Reuter.
However, if the desired branded product is not in the special offer, own brands are on average 45 percent cheaper than the comparable branded product.
“Every retailer has its own brands – supermarkets and discounters,” explains Reuter.
"So go to the retailer where you can buy most of your products in the promotion and cover the rest of your shopping cart with private labels."
