NEARLY seven in ten shoppers went to Aldi or Lidl in the last month, confirming the discount chains present a ‘growing challenge’ to the big four supermarkets, new figures reveal.
The number of people visiting one of the two budget stores has increased by more than half since 2016, market analysts Shoppercentric said.
While those who said they had used one of the big four remained static at 84 per cent, the number shopping ‘little and often’, avoiding a big main shop, soared from 11 per cent five years ago to 17 per cent today.
Store opening programmes are set to give Aldi and Lidl ‘accessibility on a par’ with the bigger supermarkets, ramping up the battle for market share, according to Shoppercentric boss Jamie Rayner.
‘Mainstream grocers need to get to grips with the role they play in shoppers’ repertoires,’ he said. ‘One in three shoppers say they spread their grocery spending more nowadays, so the store they use most often gets a smaller share than in the past.
‘Combine this with the “little and often” trend, and the danger for the large grocers is clear — loyalty is increasingly a luxury, and growth under these circumstances is not going to get any easier.’
In 2016, the figure for those who used the discount chains in the past month was 43 per cent.
Different outfit? Maya’s red carpet dress changes itself
MAYA JAMA’S dress will take on a life of its own as she interviews stars on the Baftas red carpet this weekend. The Radio 1 presenter teamed up with EE to wear the world’s first 5G-powered augmented reality gown at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Sunday.
Fans watching online through 5G smartphones and on the event’s big screen will see different effects and animations emerging from the dress, designed by multi-disciplinary artist Richard Malone. Made from recycled ocean waste, wool and wadding, the dress is hand sewn and took more than 250 hours to make. It has six layers with twelve full body length wires and eighteen sensor bulbs.

Jama, 25, said ‘Not only do I get the huge excitement of opening the red carpet, I get to do it in a bespoke dress that comes to life. I love making a fun entrance, but this will be off the scale! It’s been an incredible experience.’ Fans can try AR themselves with EE’s Lashes Lens on Instagram, she added.
Barbie is given a skin condition and hair loss

NEW Barbie dolls will have the skin condition vitiligo and be bald to increase their diversity. Maker Mattel said it wants to provide a ‘multi-dimensional view of beauty and fashion’. Vitiligo causes discoloured skin patches. Among those who have the condition is supermodel Winnie Harlow. The new range also includes a Barbie with a prosthetic limb.
BUSINESS BITES
■ AMIGO put itself up for sale after losing 75 per cent of its value since June amid regulatory scrutiny. Main shareholder Richmond Group is a ‘willing seller’ of the loans firm for people with poor credit history.
■ ALMOST 28.8million farm animals were killed for meat last year — an increase of 5.4 per cent since 2017. The rise is probably due to overseas demand, said the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers.
■ OPENREACH is planning to make ultrafast broadband available in more than 200 towns and villages, from south Wales to Suffolk, as part of its aim to give 4million homes and firms full-fibre technology by March 2021.
■ LEKOIL, which was last month reportedly tricked into thinking it would receive a £140million loan from Qatar, has increased production. Its Nigerian oil field now produces 2,344 barrels per day, up from 2,122 in 2019.
■ PETRA Diamonds saw revenues drop six per cent during the six months to the end of December, amid weak demand from China. However, the Africa-focused firm said prices had now begun to improve.