For some time now, Lidl and Leclerc have been engaged in fierce competition on prices, each claiming to be the cheapest with supporting evidence, with comparative advertisements. But what is it really like in practice?
With inflation, consumers are increasingly price sensitive, both for their large purchases and for their everyday shopping. And while some people continue to shop without worrying about labels, most now think twice before putting products in their cart, going so far as to compare supermarket prices. It is in this niche that two of the French’s favorite brands have been competing for several years, namely Leclerc and Lidl.
In their advertising, as in their communication, the two giants do not hesitate to compare themselves to their competitors (Carrefour, Auchan, U, Intermarché, Aldi, etc.), each of course claiming to be the cheapest. A speech based on figures and comparison tools accessible online: Who is the cheapest for Leclerc and Lidl is cheaper for Lidl. Problem: who is telling the truth to the extent that the results are divergent, not to say contradictory? In fact, the reality is much more complex and nuanced than it seems.
First of all, you should know that the two brands readjust their prices very regularly, often daily, in order to continually adapt to the competition. It is therefore difficult to make a reliable comparison, unless you take a “photograph” of the prices at a very specific moment – which is what Lidl and Leclerc do, specifying the date of their statements. Especially since we must also take into account the numerous promotions, always temporary, and the reductions associated with loyalty programs, which sometimes significantly reduce the bill at the checkout.
Then, it should be noted that the two giants do not have the same pricing policy in the territory. Because if Lidl explains that it practices the same prices throughout France, in all its stores, this is not the case for Leclerc insofar as the centers operate in a cooperative mode, each hypermarket being independent, their directors being free to their prices – outside of certain common national operations. This is also why the Which is the cheapest tool requires choosing a Leclerc center to make a comparison with nearby competitors, and not across the entire territory.
Finally, you should be aware that the offer is very different between the two brands. And while Lidl has focused since its beginnings on its own brands, Leclerc offers both the major national brands and its three private label brands (MDD in the jargon): Marque Repère, Our regions have talent and Eco+. In fact, there are much more choices and references at Leclerc than at Lidl, even if the former discounter has added a few national brands to its catalog.
And it is precisely this diversity that allows Leclerc to offer certain products cheaper than Lidl, particularly with its “first price” Eco+ range. Which annoys Lidl to the extent that they are not always of a quality equivalent to that of the products compared… The German brand has always focused on the quality/price ratio with a limited number of references, while Leclerc can afford a wide range of prices with many more references. For the record, Lidl even recently began to develop a low-cost range, to better align with Leclerc’s offering…
In the end, despite the assertions of the two brands, it seems illusory to make an absolute and definitive verdict. And, in practice, everything depends on the location, the period and the range of products compared: we cannot say that Lidl is always cheaper than Leclerc, nor vice versa. And in some cases, depending on current promotions and the products targeted, you can even find cheaper elsewhere, from the competition! The ideal would be to go around to all the stores to compare everything before buying: but who wants to play this game?