Business · Companies · 56 mins ago
Aldi and Lidl brought under UK supermarket land rules
The UK competition regulator has brought Aldi and Lidl under the same land rules as major supermarkets.
The rules prevent covered retailers from using property agreements to stop rivals opening nearby.
Aldi and Lidl were previously excluded because they were classed as limited-assortment discounters.
The CMA says their growth and their role in shoppers’ weekly grocery trips mean they should now count as large grocery retailers.
The change is intended to give nearby supermarkets a fairer chance to compete, and help shoppers have more choice of products and prices.
New land agreements cannot include prohibited restrictions, and the CMA can review existing agreements.
Both discounters say the decision will not change their expansion plans.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority has brought Aldi and Lidl under the land rules applying to other major supermarkets.
The rules ban the retailers from using restrictive clauses in property deals to block rivals from opening nearby.
The CMA said the decision finalises its provisional ruling in August that the discounters compete for the same weekly shoppers as other major supermarkets.
Aldi and Lidl have said the decision will not slow their UK expansion plans.
- Who
- The Competition and Markets Authority, Aldi and Lidl, and other UK supermarkets.
- What
- Aldi and Lidl will be covered by the Controlled Land Order and barred from using prohibited restrictions in land agreements.
- When
- The CMA confirmed its decision on 22 October 2026, finalising a provisional decision made in August.
- Where
- The United Kingdom.
- Why
- The CMA said Aldi and Lidl compete for the same weekly shoppers as other major supermarkets and should be covered by the same rules.
The Competition and Markets Authority and supporting grocers
Aldi and Lidl
Classification
The Competition and Markets Authority and supporting grocers
The CMA classified Aldi and Lidl as large grocery retailers, bringing them under the rules.
Aldi and Lidl
Aldi and Lidl had argued they should not be classed as large grocery retailers because they offer fewer products than rivals.
Land agreements
The Competition and Markets Authority and supporting grocers
Morrisons, Waitrose and Iceland said the discounters’ land arrangements could restrict rivals and harm competition.
Aldi and Lidl
Aldi and Lidl said the decision would not slow their plans to expand in the UK.
The CMA issued its provisional decision to classify Aldi and Lidl as large grocery retailers.
The CMA confirmed its decision to bring Aldi and Lidl under the Controlled Land Order.
- Regulator
- Competition and Markets Authority
- Decision date
- 22 October 2026
- Order
- 2010 Controlled Land Order
- Newly covered retailers
- Aldi and Lidl
- Previously covered supermarkets
- Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Co-op, M&S and Waitrose
- Aldi land-agreement sample
- A 10% sampling exercise found similar restrictions to those identified in Lidl GB’s agreements.
4 sources
What people are saying
We put in place rules to stop big supermarket chains from blocking rival stores opening in their area, and now those rules apply to Aldi and Lidl
deploy problematic land arrangements […] at scale and in a way that could have a material adverse impact on competition for groceries across the UK market
It is important that these decisions are taken without further delay to ensure there is equal opportunity in the competition between LGRs and Aldi and Lidl to secure further sites for grocery retail.
We remain firmly committed to opening hundreds of new stores across the country, bringing Aldi’s unbeatable value and award-winning quality to even more customers.