Aldi has revealed that it will be buying additional volumes of British beef to support farmers faced with surplus product due to closures of restaurants and catering businesses during the coronavirus lockdown.
The chain will be spot buying additional volume where possible with lines such as British rump steak being added to its Specialbuy offer across its 877 stores in the UK.
Aldi stated that it will also help horticultural suppliers by increasing orders of Spring plants that would otherwise be disposed of because of the closure of their normal routes to market.
Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Corporate Buying at Aldi, said: “Aldi is committed to supporting British producers, which is particularly important during these difficult times. The strong performance of the fresh meat category in our business shows the level of customer demand for quality British products. We believe the continuing good weather is a positive opportunity to drive British meat for barbeques and we’re putting marketing investment behind these products.”
Meanwhile, Aldi has introduced a voucher scheme to make it easier for volunteers to buy food on behalf of the vulnerable and those self-isolating.
The vouchers are available to buy on a new Aldi voucher website. Once purchased, the vouchers can be posted to any address in the UK so they can be given to volunteers, friends or family members to shop on their behalf.
This follows a number of initiatives from the supermarket aimed at helping the elderly and vulnerable. Aldi donated £250,000 to Age UK in March and recently launched a food parcel delivery service, marking the first time it has sold groceries online in the UK.
NAM Implications:
- A win-win for Aldi in sales and PR…
- …all without missing a beat.
