Supermarket shoppers have become more disloyal than ever before, with nearly one-third saying they would switch from their current main grocery store. A recent study by Verdict Research, shows that discounters such as Aldi, Netto and Lidl, have been cashing in on disloyalty among customers of the larger grocery chains, especially in the face of the credit crunch and rising bills.

Across all retail sectors, the disloyalty rate was 22%. Grocery had the most disloyal customers amongst all retail sectors, with 32.4% saying they would switch grocers if they were able. Senior consultant at Verdict, James Flowers commented, “Food is a particularly fierce battleground… [Discounter] price focus has real resonance with hard-pressed families.”

• Aldi has increased its share of regular customers by 0.6 percentage points (or 243,838 shoppers) since last year to 7.9%
• Lidl was up by 2.2 points (894,074 customers) to 9.8%
• Netto added 0.6 percentage points (243,838 customers) to reach 3.6% share of regular customers

However, Flowers added that the credit crunch was not the only factor - a proliferation of choice and the entry of new, often international, retailers into the market had also contributed to the trend.