How is new-in-town grocer Lidl stacking up to competition?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s been a year since Lidl stores began popping up in the United States and, according to a recent study, Americans are embracing the German grocer with open wallets.

Consulting firm Oliver Wyman conducted an independent survey to find out how U.S. consumers were responding to the discount chain. The results show it is winning over the next generation of shoppers, pointing to a promising future for Lidl here.

Of the 600 participants, 48% said they had started shopping at Lidl regularly since their first visit. Two-thirds of millennials said they were shopping there more than twice a month. The study also found that consumers are spending more since trying Lidl for the first time.

The grocer is stealing customers away from other stores, with 40% of people who identified themselves as loyal to supermarkets are now shopping at Lidl regularly.

“In our conversations with supermarket executives, they are surprised to learn the number is this high,” says Tanja Ebner, principal in Oliver Wyman’s retail and consumer goods practice, “and it’s clear consumers are moving faster in the direction of Lidl than the industry commonly has viewed.”

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Cox Media Group