The rise and fall of the Supermarkets

[Martin Holden]

Morrisons to cut 3,000 managers and take on more shop-floor staff

So Morrisons are following on from what Sainsburys have also announced - cutting costs due to poorer sales than predicted. The relative newcomers Aldi and Lidl clearly have had an impact on the established players and all of this at a time when food is still actually too cheap. We have also even seen some milk processors walking away from big supply contracts due to un profitable business, so does our food industry need a major overhaul so that UK produce can be produced, processed and retailed in a self sustaining manner where the entire supply chain makes money?

 

[Wolds Beef]

Yes!!
WB

 

[Yale]

Morrisons to cut 3,000 managers and take on more shop-floor staff

So Morrisons are following on from what Sainsburys have also announced - cutting costs due to poorer sales than predicted. The relative newcomers Aldi and Lidl clearly have had an impact on the established players and all of this at a time when food is still actually too cheap. We have also even seen some milk processors walking away from big supply contracts due to un profitable business, so does our food industry need a major overhaul so that UK produce can be produced, processed and retailed in a self sustaining manner where the entire supply chain makes money?

Too many chiefs,not enough indians.......ooh,is that non PC these days?

 

[Martin Holden]

You can cut out the chiefs as long as the Indians know what to do. Maybe stores had deputy managers so only 1 is required.

 

[delilah]

Deckchairs. Titanic.
Market share is the root of all evil.

 

[betweenthelines]

In a previous job I used to phone supermarkets on a regular basis

"Hello, you are thought to Tesco HighSt Branch," Lots of chat about offers for customers etc, then "If you are a supplier, please press 2. Thank you. If you want to speak to the fresh food Manager press 1, for the Dairy Manager Press 2, For Deliveries, press 3, for the Duty Manager press 4, for the Store Manager, press 5"

Ring Lidl (only 1 number, and that's the store manager's mobile) "Hello, how can I help" usually followed by "Can you phone back in 10 minutes, I'm on the tills at the moment"

From memory I think Tesco took milk in 15 sizes/types, Lidl took 6.

You had to book a delivery slot with Tesco (but could still be kept waiting up to 4 hrs to tip. With Lidl, just get there before 10.30 am

Tesco had computer generated order system (based on sales) that they would still alter on a daily basis. Lidl stores took the same order every day (and they never ran out, or had milk go out-of-date)

The Tesco National Buyer once told me "If we order just a single pint of skim milk, we want it that day-do NOT just add it to the next delivery!"

 

[glasshouse]

supermarkets have filled the world with plastic packaging, we bought tomatoes in a paper bag from the greengrocer before, now they come in a plastic carton , inside a plastic wrapper.
Greta will get them

 

[Ukjay]

supermarkets have filled the world with plastic packaging, we bought tomatoes in a paper bag from the greengrocer before, now they come in a plastic carton , inside a plastic wrapper.
Greta will get them

Plastic is not the issue - people are...

 

[Woolless]

In a previous job I used to phone supermarkets on a regular basis

"Hello, you are thought to Tesco HighSt Branch," Lots of chat about offers for customers etc, then "If you are a supplier, please press 2. Thank you. If you want to speak to the fresh food Manager press 1, for the Dairy Manager Press 2, For Deliveries, press 3, for the Duty Manager press 4, for the Store Manager, press 5"

Ring Lidl (only 1 number, and that's the store manager's mobile) "Hello, how can I help" usually followed by "Can you phone back in 10 minutes, I'm on the tills at the moment"

Spot on, same in Aldi. Morrisons always seems overstaffed to me.

 

[glasshouse]

Plastic is not the issue - people are...

China is thinning them out

 

[Ukjay]

China is thinning them out

What - People

 

[Campbell]

Food too cheap Martin..! Have you been to the Ludlow Farm Shop recently?

Keeping shelves full all year round with such a wide variety of stock is a very expensive business model for the big stores to maintain. Folks have soon worked out the economics of buying their regular items from the 'Germans' and using the big stores for topping up from the array non essential items.
Just seen an Aldi pop-up ad appear at the bottom of my screen, strap line reads "when it's gone, it's gone". What they are saying is, stop crying if we run out, you will have to wait...

 

[Yale]

Food too cheap Martin..! Have you been to the Ludlow Farm Shop recently?

Keeping shelves full all year round with such a wide variety of stock is a very expensive business model for the big stores to maintain. Folks have soon worked out the economics of buying their regular items from the 'Germans' and using the big stores for topping up from the array non essential items.
Just seen an Aldi pop-up ad appear at the bottom of my screen, strap line reads "when it's gone, it's gone". What they are saying is, stop crying if we run out, you will have to wait...

Things are tough out there for working families and I shop in the same queue as them as I like Aldi and Lidl,I like their no nonsense respectful approach.

We do the top up shop at Tesco etc. and the choice of products is ridiculous.

Around here we have other discount shops which are really good and are taking a lot of trade,Home Bargains,B+M and a new one from parent company Iceland.

Competition may be tight but the big supermarkets need bringing down a peg or two because their greed has been their undoing.

 

[SilliamWhale]

On the flipside I passed a van selling big bags of pony carrots for £3 today, 25kg spuds for £6.75 and a net of swedes wasnt mega dear.

Aldi are ok but I find Morrisons way better for fruit and most veg. I am thinking of paying £10 a week for a veg box reckon would be worth it

 

[som farmer]

on the rare occaision I visit a s/m, lidl, hardly any staff, morrisions next door, you see staff every where, surely its an obvious assumption, more staff +bigger wages, bigger wage bill = more cost = either drop profit, or up prices (usually by lowering their buying price). It would be interesting, to see how s/mkts will change, if sainsbury's treat all their suppliers, as tomlinsons, and a transport co, going under, somethings wrong. But agree the system needs a kick up the arse !!

 

[Samcowman]

On the flipside I passed a van selling big bags of pony carrots for £3 today, 25kg spuds for £6.75 and a net of swedes wasnt mega dear.

Aldi are ok but I find Morrisons way better for fruit and most veg. I am thinking of paying £10 a week for a veg box reckon would be worth it

Veg box for £10 is definitely worth it. We get it one from up the road. All seasonal and proper veg. Much better than supermarket stuff.

 

[A1an]

change needs to come from the people, not the supermarket.

we need to change what we eat and when we eat it.

the govt should also make importing goods from abroad more expensive, not allowing it to be bought cheaper than we can grow/produce it ourselves.

 

[Treemover]

I can buy most things as cheap from a small shop as a supermarket. The only difference is range and choice. Then these mega supermarkets really have some amount to choose from. But do i really need all that choice??
No comparison between a family owned butcher and supermarket, or bakery. So in some ways supermarkets lack quality.
But people like them. Way of the world.
As farmers how do we change the value of our products upwards?
Find direct market, avoid volume players. Not easy but can be done.

 

[Martin Holden]

Food too cheap Martin..! Have you been to the Ludlow Farm Shop recently?

Keeping shelves full all year round with such a wide variety of stock is a very expensive business model for the big stores to maintain. Folks have soon worked out the economics of buying their regular items from the 'Germans' and using the big stores for topping up from the array non essential items.
Just seen an Aldi pop-up ad appear at the bottom of my screen, strap line reads "when it's gone, it's gone". What they are saying is, stop crying if we run out, you will have to wait...

Farm shops are a different story. Many have prices which are much higher, but then again for fresh meat I always find them better quality and you definitely know where the meat has come from.

 

[Martin Holden]

Interesting comments so far. Aldi and Lidl remind me of the first supermarkets of the 70’s. Basic and rapid checkouts. Many products get wheeled in on the delivery pallets and that’s where you pick them from! Also makes me laugh that they have some weird hardware for sale too. Last Christmas 2018 Lidl were selling proper axes ? alongside the normal produce!!