Aldi has become the latest supermarket to trade in checkout treats for healthy alternatives; chocolates and sweets are to be replaced with nuts, dried fruit and water. The swap will be implemented by January 2015, following a 16-week trial which took place at a number of the German retailer‘s 500 UK stores.
Giles Hurley, joint managing director of corporate buying at the supermarket, stated: “The healthier tills trial quickly showed that healthier foods prove more popular with our shoppers than the traditional checkout offer of confectionery and sweets.”
The move appears to be part of a growing trend among UK food retailers; earlier this year Tesco removed sugary treats from their Metro and Express checkouts after bosses found that parents were irritated by the ‘pester‘ factor the ploy promoted with young children. Lidl and Sainsbury‘s have also banned sweets from their checkouts, further isolating Marks and Spencer who continue to surround tills with less healthy snacks.
