INDEPENDENT discount retailers are enjoying a boom to rival large chains such as Aldi and Lidl, according to a new survey.
A poll by specialist wholesaler Rowan found 59 per cent of people in the South West now shop at independent discounters – with three-quarters saying they will continue to use the retailers even if their personal financial circumstances improve.
James Russell, Rowan's commercial director , said: "It's no secret that Aldi and Lidl have grown recently – they are big chains, so this gets noticed.
"However, their smaller rivals have also boomed, but this has slipped under the radar.
"Arguably the growth of British independent discounters is the more significant trend across the UK and more specifically in the South West."
Most of the UK's discount stores are either independent, or part of a small chain.
In 2013, companies that operated nine or fewer stores ran 3,468 of the nation's discounters – more than three times the number of Aldi and Lidl shops combined.
"Unlike Aldi or Lidl, independent discounters tend be on high streets, so are ideally-placed to benefit from the new trend of customers shopping around rather than buying all their goods in one weekly supermarket visit," Mr Russell added.
"At the same time, they are beginning to stock more popular brands, and stock them consistently. Put together, this means more customer visits, and increased customer trust.
"Anecdotally, the companies we deal with who are experiencing the strongest growth are not the giants – they are the smaller, more entrepreneurial firms who have realised there is a discount boom and are using the flexibility afforded by their size to respond to it in a clever way.
"The threat to supermarkets from local 99p stores could be as great as the threat from Aldi and Lidl."
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