Overview
- Aldi Nord cut prices on private-label sausages and ham by up to €0.20 and reduced Choceur chocolate bars to €0.99 for 100 g, describing the meat price changes as permanent.
- Competing chains quickly matched or undercut offers: Lidl and Norma aligned on cuts, Kaufland dropped Milka 90 g bars to €0.77 in step with Aldi, and Rossmann advertised €1.11.
- Milka and other branded chocolates saw steep temporary markdowns to €0.77–€0.79 per bar as supermarkets and discounters widened promotions to draw traffic ahead of Christmas.
- Retailers and analysts cited falling input costs and the use of chocolate as a customer draw, with Lidl saying it is passing lower raw-material prices to shoppers and experts noting wide pricing leeway on private labels.
- Farmer organizations decried €0.99 butter as unsustainable and asked the Bundeskartellamt to examine pricing; the regulator confirmed receipt of a letter as Germany’s retail discounts fuel cross-border concerns in Austria.