Aldi has announced that it has no plans at the moment to enter the New Zealand retail market, playing down media reports of such a possible move.
The discounter said it has “no current plans to expand into New Zealand”, a day after NZ’s acting PM, Grant Robertson, suggested that the German chain was one of several retailers interested in the New Zealand market.
In public comments, Robertson had noted: “We’ve got interest from a number of other players”, adding that Aldi was one of the “players in the Australian market that people can take a look at”.
NAM Implications:
- What possible advantage could Aldi gain by acknowledging their intention to enter a market?
- (at least until they have secured site-leases/purchase of potential outlets…)
- …given the inevitability of price rises when locals realise a global retail player is ‘in the market’.
