Retail Disruptors: The Spectacular Rise and Impact of the Hard Discounters

The rise of hard discounters like Aldi and Lidl has been monumental. Explore the very real threat they pose to traditional retailers and brand manufacturers and what you can learn from their growth.
Hard discounters are stores that sell a limited selection of consumer-packaged goods and perishables - typically fewer than 2,000 Stock Keeping Units - for prices that are usually 50-60% lower than national brands. The best-known hard discounters are Aldi and Lidl, but global brands include Trader Joe’s, EuroSpin, Biedronka, Netto and Leader Price. Their rise has been monumental; they have irrevocably changed the face of retail in Europe and Australia and are making steady inroads into the US.
Retail Disruptors is the first book that explores this upheaval, providing expert insight into the business models of the leading hard discounters, and what mainstream retailers and brand manufacturers can do to remain competitive in the face of disruption. Meticulously researched by two of the leading authorities in retail strategy, private labels, branding, and hard discounting, Retail Disruptors is essential reading for all brand manufacturers and retailers who want to retain the competitive edge.

Dr Jan-Benedict Steenkamp is Distinguished Professor of Marketing at University of North Carolina, USA. He is Honorary Professor at the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management, Fellow of the European Marketing Academy, and Fellow at the Institute for Sustainable Growth at Fudan University (Shanghai). His work has received over 38,000 citations and been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and the Economist.

Dr Laurens Sloot is Professor of Retail Marketing at the University of Groningen. He founded the EFMI Business School at Erasmus University, which has since developed into a leading educational and research institute.