CMA proposes to prevent Aldi and Lidl from blocking rival supermarkets opening close to their stores 
    
    
      

Provisional decisions find that Aldi, Lidl GB and Lidl NI are ‘Large Grocery Retailers’  
    
    
      

CMA is seeking views before making a final decision   
    
  




Following a review, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally decided that Aldi, Lidl GB and Lidl NI should be subject to rules set out in the Groceries Market Investigation (Controlled Land) Order 2010, which already apply to the UK’s biggest supermarket chains.  



The Order is designed to stop ‘Large Grocery Retailers’ (LGRs) from using land agreements to make it harder for rival supermarkets to open nearby – in particular through the use of restrictive covenants and exclusivity arrangements. The rules ensure supermarkets compete freely – and ultimately ensure shoppers have more choice about where to buy, and how much to pay for, their groceries. 



The Order currently applies to seven retailers – Asda, Co‑op, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.  



Using set criteria, the CMA reviews which retailers should be covered, and its provisional view is that Aldi, Lidl GB and Lidl NI should now be covered by the Order because of the scale and geographic coverage of their stores, their full range of groceries and their procurement model.  



The UK food and grocery market is worth an estimated £215 billion and, according to various sources, Aldi and Lidl’s market shares rank them amongst the top 5 retailers.   

Provisional findings



When the Order was made in 2010, Aldi’s and Lidl’s UK activities were excluded from its scope as ‘limited assortment discounters’ (LADs), selling a significantly more limited range of groceries than the LGRs at a low price. Having reviewed the evidence on their current operations, the CMA has provisionally found that Aldi, Lidl GB and Lidl NI no longer qualify as LADs, and that they are LGRs on the basis of the following criteria:  


  
    

Store footprint and geographic coverage: each operates larger grocery stores – those with a shopfloor area of more than 1,000 square metres – throughout either Great Britain or Northern Ireland 
  
  
    

Product range: each carries a full range of groceries, even though they may offer less choice within some categories than some existing LGRs 
  
  
    

Procurement model: each purchases groceries directly from suppliers through an integrated grocery wholesaling function  
  




Before reaching a final decision, the CMA is seeking further views on whether Aldi, Lidl GB and Lidl NI should be designated as LGRs under the Order and therefore be subject to the land agreement rules. 



Juliette Enser, Executive Director of Competition Enforcement and Markets at the CMA, said: 


  

We want everyone to have the best choice of supermarket and range of prices when buying their groceries. To ensure this happens, we put rules in place to prevent big supermarket chains blocking rival stores from opening nearby – and now we propose applying those rules to Aldi and Lidl too. 

  

This is about allowing shoppers to choose where they spend their money and levelling the playing field for all major supermarkets. Today’s proposals are provisional and we welcome views before deciding the best way forward.


What happens next 



No final decision has been made. The CMA is inviting stakeholders to submit views on the provisional findings by 5pm on Monday 7 September 2026. It will consider those responses before final decisions are reached in the autumn. 



More information can be found on the case page.

Notes to editors 


  
    

The CMA’s provisional decisions apply to Aldi Stores Ltd, Lidl Great Britain Ltd (Lidl GB) and Lidl Northern Ireland Ltd (Lidl NI).  
  
  
    

At the time of the Order, Lidl operated its UK business in a UK-wide basis. Since then, its UK operations have been restructured such that Lidl GB operates in Great Britain and Lidl NI operates in Northern Ireland.  
  
  
    

The Order was introduced following findings by the CMA’s predecessor organisation, the Competition Commission, that land agreements, including restrictive covenants and exclusivity arrangements, could raise barriers to entry, weaken competition and reduce consumer choice in highly concentrated local markets.
  





      
        

For media enquiries, contact the CMA press office.

      
    
        
          
            Email
          
          
            
  
    
      press@cma.gov.uk
    
  


          
        
        
          
            Telephone numbers
          
          
            

    
      Phone: 
      020 3738 6460 
    
    
      Out of hours: 
      020 3738 6878
    




  Opening hours



Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm. On bank holidays, use our out of hours number.


  


    
      Find out about call charges

CMA Proposes New Rules for Aldi and Lidl to Enhance Supermarket Competition

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has made a provisional decision to classify Aldi, Lidl GB, and Lidl NI as 'Large Grocery Retailers' (LGRs), subjecting them to the Groceries Market Investigation (Controlled Land) Order 2010. This move aims to prevent these retailers from using land agreements to block rival supermarkets from opening nearby.

The Order currently applies to major supermarket chains like Asda, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s, and is designed to ensure fair competition in the grocery market, which is valued at approximately £215 billion. The CMA's review indicates that Aldi and Lidl have expanded their operations significantly, no longer qualifying as 'limited assortment discounters' due to their larger store sizes and full range of grocery products.

The CMA is seeking stakeholder feedback on this provisional decision before making a final ruling in the autumn. Juliette Enser, Executive Director of Competition Enforcement and Markets at the CMA, emphasized the importance of consumer choice and fair competition in the supermarket sector.



CMA Proposes New Rules for Aldi and Lidl to Enhance Supermarket Competition

The UK Competition and Markets Authority has provisionally decided that Aldi and Lidl should be classified as 'Large Grocery Retailers' and be subject to the same competitive rules as major supermarkets.