Is Aldi Coming to New Zealand in 2025?

If you’ve read the news in the past few days, you might have heard rumours that Aldi is considering coming to New Zealand.

This came from a number of news outlets after Nicola Willis stated she would open up the grocery sector to a third player OR work to break up the existing duopoly of Foodstuffs and Woolworths.

Naturally, us optimistic Kiwis are all hoping like crazy that Aldi will come to town as we really need a budget supermarket option but it’s important to note that there has been no confirmation from Aldi that they are planning to enter the New Zealand market.

Grant Robertson mentioned something similar in 2020.

His actual words were in response to the host who questioned if Aldi was one of the players looking at entering the New Zealand market.

He mentioned Costco’s arrival before stating, “There were other players in the Australian market that people can take a look at.”

“Aldi is one of the players, but I’m not going to announce things for people today”.

He then went on to explain that his government (not the current government) was focused on making the market more competitive so that outsiders would find it easier to enter the New Zealand market (which was an epic fail – as we can now see).

Aldi has been registered with the New Zealand companies office since 2000, so they do at least know we exist and had some forethought 25 years ago.

They have a registered office in Auckland and the listed directors are based in Australia.

Why is Aldi cheaper than regular supermarkets?

There are a few reasons why Aldi can keep its prices low.

One reason is that they sell primarily generic products.

This means that they don’t have to pay for advertising or marketing, which can be expensive.

They also have a smaller selection than most other supermarkets, which helps to keep costs down.

You might have heard about Aldi copycat products.

This is when Aldi makes their own version of a popular brand name product.

Aldi designs the packaging and names the product to closely mimic the original, well-known product as you can see in this Sydney Morning Herald article.

In addition, Aldi stores are typically smaller than other supermarkets, which also helps to reduce operating costs.

Aldi takes a “no frills” approach, which means it doesn’t offer extras like bagging services or in-store cafes.

They make you pack your own bags in a tiny wee til area and you have to do it really fast or endure the stares of the people in the queue behind you and the exasperated checkout operator.

But all this means Aldi can keep their costs low and can pass those savings on to their customers in the form of lower prices.

Why Isn’t Aldi Coming To New Zealand?

Aldi has previously mentioned they have no plans to enter the New Zealand market and up until recently, they had good reason not to.

With the government putting the supermarket duopoly on notice by seeking recommendations from the Commerce Commission, Aldi may reconsider.

If the duopoly is forced to stop land banking (which is currently common practice) this may allow for other players to step in.

What Is Being Done To Bring Aldi To New Zealand?

Kiwis are well-travelled savvy shoppers.

Many of us have shopped at Aldi in Australia or further abroad and seen the huge price disparity.

The Facebook page Bring Aldi to New Zealand has a strong following and is worth checking out if you want to voice your support publicly.

Where Can Shoppers Go Instead Of Aldi In New Zealand?

There are no real Aldi alternatives in New Zealand right now.

The Warehouse is doing a stellar job of bringing down the price of essentials like butter, Weetbix, milk, and instant coffee.

Their flour and baking supplies are also reasonably priced and high quality.

I now spend over 30% of my weekly grocery shopping at The Warehouse, and this will continue if they keep increasing their range.