Aldi & Lidl top YouGov BrandIndex rankings for 4th year in a row

Aldi and Lidl have taken the top spots in the YouGov BrandIndex top 10 UK brands for the fourth consecutive year.

The YouGov BrandIndex measures the public’s perception of brands on a daily basis across a range of measures.

The annual rankings are compiled using Buzz scores taken throughout the year.

Buzz scores measure whether people have heard anything good or bad about a brand during the previous two weeks.

Aldi took the top spot with an average Buzz score of 18.1 while Lidl comes in at second with 14.5.

The only two other retailers to have reached the top 10 include Ikea and Marks & Spencer, which came in at seventh and eighth respectively with 10.5 and 10.2 points.

“Both Aldi and Lidl continue to adapt their offering evolving from being seen the ‘cheap’ option to projecting themselves as offering both value and, increasingly, quality,” YouGov’s Amelia Brophy said.

Aldi UK’s joint managing director of corporate buying Julie Ashfield said: “We’re delighted that Aldi topped YouGov’s BrandIndex Best Brand ranking for the fourth year in a row.

“Our unique proposition of amazing quality at everyday low prices continues to resonate with the British public – so much so, that we welcomed over one million new shoppers through our doors last year.”

“Arguably the big story of this year’s top 10 is the increasing power of Netflix. Jumping above BBC iPlayer is significant as it indicates how effective it has been in delivering its ‘quality original content’ message to both new and existing viewers,” Brophy continued.

“That Netflix has leapt into third place is impressive as it is the first time since 2014 that BBC iPlayer has been outside the top three.”

YouGov BrandIndex has also released the 10 “most improved” brands of the past year.

BHS topped the list with a significant rise of 13.8 points to its Buzz score, going from -18.9 in 2016 when it collapsed, to -5.1 in 2017 when it re-emerged as a successful online-only retailer with a new parent company.

Sports Direct is the second most improved brand with a 6.8 points rise, going from -16.9 to -10.0 year-on-year, in a nod to its efforts to move on from the damaging headlines around workers rights and controversial billionaire owner Mike Ashley.

“BHS has been able to adopt a new, scaled down business while Sports Direct has managed withstood a wave of negative headlines,” Brophy said.

“While neither has yet achieved an overall positive score, their public perception is improving.

“Elsewhere, while Apple has faced criticism over battery life and price of its products, the launch of a new phone model generated excitement.”

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