The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally decided that discounters Aldi and Lidl should be subject to rules set out in the Groceries Market Investigation (Controlled Land) Order 2010.
The order currently applies to seven retailers: Asda, Co‑op, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose. However, following a review, the CMA has provisionally decided because of the scale and geographic coverage of their stores, their full range of groceries stocked and their procurement model, Aldi and Lidl should also be covered by the order.
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.
When the order was introduced in 2010, Aldi and Lidl’s UK activities were excluded from its scope as ‘limited assortment discounters’ (LADs) as they were selling a significantly more limited range of groceries than the LGRs at a low price. The CMA has provisionally found that Aldi and Lidl no longer qualify as LADs and that they are LGRs.
Before reaching a final decision, the CMA is seeking further views on whether Aldi and Lidl 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.”
The CMA is inviting stakeholders to submit views on its provisional findings by 5pm on Monday 7 September 2026. It will consider those responses before a final decision is reached in the autumn.
