Third anniversary in China: An Aldi neighbourhood store front in Shanghai
Do you still go with the flow? How near to normal is customer frequency in your Chinese stores after the recent partial relaxation of lockdown restrictions?
Aldi aims to be a neighbourhood grocery store, and our pilot stores remained open during the outbreak for customers to purchase their daily necessities. While we saw an increase in online orders during the height of the outbreak here, we are seeing more customers in our pilot stores as more people leave their homes for work and play with the situation improving in China.
Will the current crisis have any negative effect on your expansion plans in China?
Since entering China three years ago, Aldi now has seven pilot stores, all located in Shanghai. We have always been committed to a long-term presence here, and we want to ensure that we are pacing our development appropriately.
We feel even stronger about this promise during this extraordinary period. We have stood by local customers from the day we began and will continue to do so now and in the future.
We have spent years researching the market and planning our expansion, and we will continue to follow that plan to grow steadily over the years.
During the crisis many retailers have restricted both the number of customers entering their shops at any one time and the length of time they can stay there. How have you managed customer flows?
Throughout the outbreak, Aldi China did not impose a time restriction on shopping at our pilot stores. We wanted to give our customers a comfortable and stress-free environment for them to make purchases. At the same time, we take the health and safety of our customers and staff very seriously, which was why we implemented temperature screening procedures at the entrance of our pilot stores.
Aldi China is also committed to supporting our customers’ dynamic lifestyles, and we do that by offering a thoughtfully curated range of products across all categories. All products are 'Handpicked for You' by Aldi experts to meet local needs, so customers can make their selection quickly and easily before going about their daily lives.
How have you coped with the online boom in customer orders?
Like many online retailers, we have seen an increase in online orders during the outbreak.
To support our customers and keep our online platforms running smoothly, our suppliers and teams have been working extra hard to keep our shelves stocked so our customers can continue to shop for daily necessities both at our pilot stores or through our e-commerce platforms.
We did not impose purchase limits on products as our customers know that our supply is steady.
Our online business has been progressing smoothly. Customers can purchase our products through our WeChat mini-program and our Tmall channels, as well as through our partners Ele.me and JD Daojia.
Have you hired extra part-time staff and incentivised front-line staff with bonuses?
At the moment, we have more than 250 people on our team. During the current extraordinary period, our main focus has been on offering customers what they need, while ensuring the health and safety of consumers and staff throughout the outbreak. We will continue to provide a safe and fulfilling work environment for our employees.
