Middle market stores feel the squeeze

Shoppers are looking for dirt-cheap bargains or luxury brands, according to a ranking of Britain’s fastest-growing retailers that reveals the extent of a squeeze on the high street’s middle ground.

Aldi, the German discount grocery chain, tops the list of growing brands, ahead of upmarket Waitrose. The pair are followed by Sports Direct and Primark, two cut-price clothes chains, in a ranking by OC&C.

Anita Balchandani, the consultancy’s head of retail, said that discounters were attracting increasing numbers of affluent customers, as well as hard-up families. “Cut-price brands are becoming more demographic,” she said. “Across every socio- economic group, participation in discount brands is strong.”

Of the top 20 growing retailers, ten are so-called “value” brands and six are premium retailers. Only four — including John Lewis, Screwfix and Dunelm — are what once would have been described as mainstream chains. “If you’re a retailer who’s not clear about your point of difference, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to stand out,” Ms Balchandani said.