Aldi chief admits wine is crucial to its trading strategy to attract more middle class consumers in growing markets

Aldi's growing importance to the global wine market was further emphasised this week when its UK chief executive admitted using cheap wine as one of its key trading strategies to lure in middle class shoppers.

Over the last three years Aldi, and Lidl's, profile with shoppers, not just in the UK but in countries where they were seen as secondary to major supermarkets, has been turned on its head.

The on-going impact of the recession of 2008 and 2009 and the changes it made to consumer behaviour has meant there is no longer a stigma of been seen shopping at a hard discounter amongst the key middle class consumer. 

Finding good quality, but cheap alternatives for key category items such as wine, and fresh fruit and meat, has been enough to make people change their shopping behaviour.

As a result Aldi and Lidl have seen their share of the market increase considerably in recent years, being the only two retailers, along with Waitrose at the premium end of the market, see consistent, consecutive month-by-month, year-by-year sales increases.

Aldi, for example, now has 12% of the fresh food market in the UK and 6.5% of the total grocery market. Closely followed by Lidl with 4.5%. 

Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph this week Aldi's chief executive, Matthew Barnes, said: 

Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, Barnes said: "Some people shop with us first to try the wine and then come back to do a weekly shop - so it's very important to us.

In July Aldi picked up 16 awards at the International Wine Challenge, with judges handing a £7.99 bottle of cream liqueur a gold award.  

The retailer has received more than 90 international awards for its beers, wines, spirits and liqueurs this year alone. 

He also confirmed that Aldi was committed to being the cheapest in the market if the expected price war between the UK's major supermarkets hots up later in the year. 

Barnes said: "If there is a price war, I can guarantee one thing - we will lower our prices to whatever it takes."

Aldi has become a firm favourite amongst wine suppliers for its straightforward but hard bargaining approach. Prices agreed are stuck to and suppliers say they like the consistency of approach. "You kow where you are and what you are getting with the likes of Aldi," said one prominent UK wine supplier.