we're smart

Being smart is what drives our business model and has led to ALDI’s success in Australia. We don’t spend money on expensive marketing campaigns. Instead we provide our customers with products of the highest quality at permanently low prices and offer our employees above market salary rates and industry leading working conditions.

Our success stems from the quality of our products, a passion for low prices and a desire to keep operations simple, but to achieve this we also need the right people. With more than 8,000 stores in 19 countries and over 50 years experience in the retail business, our employees are given the opportunity to work alongside and learn from the best in the industry.

Being smart is about being first to market with new initiatives and ensuring we're honest in everything we do while considering the environment and the communities in which we operate.

we're innovative

ALDI was named ‘Retail Innovation of the Year’ by the Australian Retailers Association in 2009 in recognition of the innovative initiatives we have implemented across the business.

We led the way in November 2007 by becoming the first grocery retailer to introduce unit pricing across all of our Australian stores, which the Federal Government later introduced as legislation. In April 2008 ALDI was the first to offer consistent, national pricing ensuring customers pay the same prices at any ALDI store regardless of where they live.

Our innovative approach to shopping also focuses on quality. We are the only grocery retailer signed to the Australian Olive Association’s Industry Code of Practice guaranteeing the authenticity and quality of certified extra virgin olive oils.

We are also reformulating our exclusive branded food items to remove the six artificial food colours which have been proven to cause hyperactivity in children. We are doing this because we believe it is the right thing to do and will provide our customers with products of the highest quality.

We value sustainability

From our store design to transportation and supplier arrangements, all aspects of ALDI’s business have systems in place to reduce energy consumption, carbon emissions and general waste output.

We have never stocked single-use plastic bags and our coin operated trolley system has been in place since we opened our first store in 2001 preventing the dumping of trolleys in backstreets, waterways and public areas.

We continue to seek and are sourcing more sustainable food. In March 2009, we became the first supermarket in Australia to offer an exclusively branded range of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified sustainable seafood.

The MSC ecolabel means our customers can be sure they are buying fish that is sustainably sourced from a well managed fishery; and by making this choice, they are doing their bit to secure the future of the world’s oceans.

ALDI’s Just Organic range includes high quality organic products which are fully certified by an Australian and Internationally recognised certifier such as the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA). Just Organic lines include milk, honey, chocolate and tea.

ALDI’s environmental initiatives are widely recognised and in 2008 we were awarded the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency’s Corporate Sustainability Award.

We’re responsible

We are committed to sourcing products from Australian suppliers creating job opportunities within local communities. We also donate quality food to charitable food organisations including Foodbank, Ozharvest and Secondbite, giving those less fortunate food to eat while ensuring we reduce wastage.

Since 2003, ALDI has been an avid supporter of the important work Barnardos Australia undertakes to help Australian families, in particular children. In addition to donations of money, we regularly provide Barnardos with items such as children’s books, bed linen, electrical items and other household goods to distribute to those in need.