Presse

Discount Stores vs. Supermarkets: Analysis Reveals Surprising Findings on Prices

Frankfurter Rundschau

Discount stores are generally considered the cheaper alternative to supermarkets. But is that really true? A recent analysis sheds light on the current price differences.

Kassel – The price war between discount chains and supermarkets in Germany is intensifying, yet a new analysis shows that the widely assumed price gaps barely exist. According to a study by the comparison app Smhaggle, conducted on behalf of the German Press Agency (dpa), shelf prices for identical products are nearly identical across all major grocery retailers.

“Whether it’s milk, yogurt, pasta, butter, or cucumbers: With very few exceptions, the prices of these products are identical down to the cent,” explains Smhaggle CEO Sven Reuter. This applies to both private-label and branded products – regardless of whether they are sold at a discount chain or a traditional supermarket.

Consumer

Münchner Merkur

Supermarket or Discount Store: How Big Are the Price Differences?

Munich – Even though discount stores and supermarkets charge the same prices for identical products, 44 percent of consumers are shopping more frequently at Aldi and Lidl due to rising living costs. This is the result of a representative YouGov survey conducted between January 6 and January 8, 2026, among 2,033 adults in Germany – a paradox that characterizes the German grocery market. This seemingly irrational consumer behavior is based on a widespread misconception.

According to a study by the comparison app Smhaggle, conducted on behalf of the German Press Agency (dpa), shelf prices for identical products are nearly identical across all major grocery retailers. “Whether it’s milk, yogurt, pasta, butter, or cucumbers: With very few exceptions, the prices of these products are identical down to the cent,” explains Smhaggle CEO Sven Reuter. This applies to both private-label and branded products – regardless of the retail format.

Nevertheless, some supermarkets and discount chains remain more popular with customers than others.

Discount Store vs. Supermarket: Analysis Reveals Surprising Findings on Prices

HNA

Discount stores are generally considered the cheaper alternative to supermarkets. But is that really true? A recent analysis reveals the current price differences.

Kassel – The price war between discount retailers and supermarkets in Germany is intensifying. However, a new analysis shows that the widely assumed price differences hardly exist. According to a study conducted by the price comparison app Smhaggle on behalf of the German Press Agency (dpa), shelf prices for identical products are nearly the same across all major grocery retailers.

“Whether it’s milk, yogurt, pasta, butter, or cucumbers: With very few exceptions, the prices of these products are identical down to the cent,” explains Smhaggle CEO Sven Reuter. This applies to both private-label and branded products – regardless of the retail format.

Lidl loses in court over misleading advertising

msn

DNN

How far can advertising go – and when does it become misleading? Discount retailer Lidl has suffered a defeat in a legal dispute over a controversial marketing campaign before the Regional Court of Heilbronn.

At the center of the case was an advertisement from May 2025 that attracted widespread attention. Lidl had promoted the “biggest price cut of all time,” claiming that 500 products would be permanently reduced in price.

A commercial chamber (Case No. 21 O 77/25 KfH) ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by the Hamburg Consumer Advice Center, classifying the retailer’s conduct as misleading. Lidl stated: “We will assess further legal steps once we have received the written grounds for the judgment and will review possible legal remedies.”

Misleading advertising?

Hamburger Abendblatt

Discount Retailer in Court: Hamburg Consumer Advice Center Wins Lawsuit Against Lidl

Hamburg/Heilbronn. Court proceedings at the Regional Court: Consumer advocates have sued the discount giant over misleading advertising. Here’s what Lidl has to say.

Since the end of May 2025, Lidl has claimed to have permanently reduced the prices of hundreds of products. The discount retailer prominently advertised: “500 products permanently cheaper,” calling it the “biggest price cut of all time.” However, the Hamburg Consumer Advice Center (VZHH) suspected misleading advertising and filed a lawsuit against the retail giant. The trial began Thursday at the Regional Court of Heilbronn. At the center of the proceedings is Lidl’s major advertising campaign from spring 2025.

The Hamburg consumer advocates considered the retailer’s advertising claims misleading. They argued that there was no complete, verifiable list showing which products were actually reduced in price. Upon closer inspection, it remained entirely unclear which products had been immediately and permanently discounted, according to the VZHH. At the time of the campaign, significantly fewer than the 500 advertised items were listed on the company’s website. The court has now ruled in favor of the Consumer Advice Center.

Lidl Plus App: Consumer Advice Center Issues Warning to All Customers

msn

BERLIN LIVE

More than 100 million downloads in the Google Play Store demonstrate the enormous reach of the Lidl Plus app. Lidl attracts users with “exclusive price advantages,” coupons, and discounts. Many shoppers hope to save significantly on their grocery bills. However, consumer advocates are raising concerns and warning against unrealistic expectations.

The Lidl Plus app represents a booming trend. Apps from Aldi, Rewe, and Kaufland are also widely used. According to Bitkom, 72 percent of smartphone owners use at least one retailer app. In addition to discounts, these apps offer recipes, shopping lists, prize draws, and even integrated payment features.

Lidl Plus App Under Scrutiny

Christine Steffen from the Consumer Advice Center of North Rhine-Westphalia takes a critical view of this development. “The savings benefit is often smaller than expected, and consumers pay for discounts by sharing extensive personal data.” According to her, many users significantly overestimate the actual benefits of these applications.

Controversial advertising campaign

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Did Lidl Promise Too Much?

In May 2025, discount retailer Lidl attracted customers with what it called the “biggest price cut of all time.” Consumer advocates filed a lawsuit, calling the campaign false and misleading. The trial is now beginning.

What is advertising allowed to claim – and what crosses the line? That is the question judges at the Regional Court of Heilbronn are now examining. Proceedings begin today in the case between discount retailer Lidl and the Hamburg Consumer Advice Center (Case No. 21 O 77/25 KfH).

At the center of the dispute is a campaign that drew widespread attention in May 2025. Lidl advertised the “biggest price cut of all time,” claiming that 500 products would be permanently reduced in price.

From the perspective of consumer advocates, Lidl’s advertising was false and misleading. “It promises more than it actually delivers,” says Armin Valet of the Hamburg Consumer Advice Center. The criticism focuses on the fact that customers could not clearly see which products – and how many – were actually reduced. According to Valet, the number of discounted items was effectively impossible to verify because Lidl did not publish a transparent, reviewable list.

Gericht rügt Werbung

Lebensmittel Praxis

Consumer Advocates Prevail Against Lidl

Discount retailer Lidl has suffered a defeat in a legal dispute over a controversial advertising campaign before the Regional Court of Heilbronn. A commercial chamber (Case No. 21 O 77/25 KfH) ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by the Hamburg Consumer Advice Center.

At the center of the case was a campaign that attracted widespread attention in May 2025. At the time, Lidl had advertised the “biggest price cut of all time,” claiming that 500 products would be permanently reduced in price.

Lidl had already rejected the allegations last year. “For competitive reasons, we do not wish to publish a detailed list of the items,” a spokesperson said at the time. The figure of 500 referred to individual products reduced in Germany. According to the company, the campaign included both nationwide and regional price adjustments. Consumer advocates criticized the fact that these details were only mentioned in a footnote. They also argued that fewer products had actually been reduced than originally announced. According to the court, Lidl operates around 3,500 stores in Germany.

Consumer deception?

top agrar

Trial Begins Over Lidl’s “Biggest Price Cut of All Time”

Did Lidl mislead customers with its promise to permanently reduce the prices of 500 products? In reality, that number may never have been reached – or were individual yogurt varieties simply counted separately? Judges are now set to clarify the matter.

Proceedings begin today at the Regional Court of Heilbronn in the case between discount retailer Lidl and the Hamburg Consumer Advice Center. The dispute centers on the “Biggest Price Cut of All Time” advertising campaign from May 2025, in which Lidl claimed that 500 products had been permanently reduced in price.

Consumer advocates reviewed the claim and reached a sobering conclusion. According to their findings, the promise was false and misleading. Customers were unable to clearly identify which products – and how many – had actually been reduced. The total number was effectively impossible to verify because Lidl did not publish a transparent, reviewable list, the plaintiffs argue.

Lidl

Handelsblatt

Consumer Advocates Prevail Against Discount Retailer’s Advertising

Lidl loses in court: An advertising campaign claiming 500 price reductions sparks controversy. Here’s what consumer advocates criticized about the promotion.

Stuttgart. Discount retailer Lidl has suffered a legal defeat in a dispute over a controversial advertising campaign before the Regional Court of Heilbronn. A commercial chamber (Case No. 21 O 77/25 KfH) ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by the Hamburg Consumer Advice Center.

At the center of the case was a campaign that drew widespread attention in May 2025. Lidl had promoted what it called the “biggest price cut of all time,” claiming that 500 products would be permanently reduced in price.

The Handelsblatt had previously reported – based on a specially commissioned analysis of more than 100,000 receipts – that Lidl had since raised prices again on numerous products.