Aldi lures shoppers with craft beer special

Will hipsters be taking their Audis to Aldi to buy craft beer? As of 30 May 2016, the discount chain Aldi has been selling a range of 18 UK-brewed craft beers in its stores. Aldi said it was tapping into the booming craft beer market, which is currently worth an estimated GBP 420 million USD 607 million).

Tony Baines, Joint Managing Director of Corporate Buying at Aldi, was quoted as saying: “Our buying team has scoured every corner of the UK to source an eclectic collection of fantastic ales, and we’re delighted to be able to bring this exceptional collection to shoppers across the country at an affordable price.”

Reportedly, the German discounter has spent GBP 600,000 (USD 870,000) on launching the craft beers in its English and Welsh shops. Only a limited number of bottles have been produced by the 13 breweries which signed up for the scheme.

Bottles are priced at GBP 1.25 (USD 1.80) and will be available while stocks last.

Doubtlessly, the craft beers will sell like hot buns as they are far cheaper than those routinely available at the high-end supermarket chain Waitrose, where a bottle retails for GBP 1.79 (USD 2.80) upwards.

Some UK commentators wondered: is it ok for right-on beer geeks shop at Aldi? Shouldn’t they have any moral qualms? This misses the point. The real question to ask is: did the craft brewers make any money on their beers when they supplied them to Aldi?