Aldi Ends Price Blurring Experiment After Just Months
Aldi Belgium has quietly abandoned its experiment with blurring promotional prices for fresh products in its online folder, reversing a decision made just three months ago. The supermarket chain confirmed the change on August 4, saying customers wanted to see prices in advance to plan their weekly shopping.
A Short-Lived Experiment
In May 2026, Aldi made headlines when it announced it would blur promotional prices for fresh products—including vegetables, fruit, meat, and bakery items—in its digital folder. While shoppers could see which products were on offer, the actual discount amounts remained hidden until the Sunday before the promotional week began.
According to VRT NWS, the move was widely seen as a strategic play in the intensifying price war between Belgian supermarket chains. By keeping prices hidden until the last moment, Aldi gave competitors less time to adjust their own promotions in response.
The experiment lasted approximately three months. Aldi’s communication manager, Emmely Verhaeghe, described it as a “temporary test.”
“At Aldi you can always consult the folder for this and next week,” Verhaeghe explained. “Every week we offer 25 promotions on fresh products. Because those purchases are often part of the weekly shopping, we wanted to test whether we could show the prices later.”
Reversal on Customer Demand
Aldi says the decision to reverse course was driven by customer feedback. The chain now displays fresh promotion prices immediately in its digital folder, including those for the following week.
“Our customers want to be well informed, and the price is an important element when drawing up their shopping list,” Verhaeghe said. “That’s why we’re making the prices visible again, so customers can plan their purchases well in advance.”
When asked whether the reversal was also related to competitive pressures, Verhaeghe declined to comment, saying only that “the customer is always central” at Aldi.
RetailDetail noted that industry observers had viewed the original blurring initiative as part of the “tactical game” between the two German discounters operating in Belgium, particularly after Lidl adjusted the timing of its weekly promotions to match Aldi’s schedule.
The Broader Price War Context
The price blurring experiment unfolded against a backdrop of intense competition in the Belgian grocery market. VRT NWS reported in May that Lidl had simultaneously announced 100 permanent price reductions across food, care, and household products, while Aldi added 15 extra promotions on top of its usual 25 weekly fresh offers.
The competition between Aldi and Lidl has been particularly fierce. Both discounters have been losing market share to competitors that have adopted Sunday openings, including Delhaize, Carrefour, Albert Heijn, and Intermarché. Fresh products have become an increasingly important battleground, with more space in stores and more prominence in weekly folders.
RetailDetail’s earlier analysis noted that Aldi focuses on fresh promotions for their “halo effect”—attracting customers who then purchase other products. The blurring was designed to limit competitors’ visibility into planned promotions while allowing Aldi to respond more quickly to rivals’ moves.
However, as La Libre Belgique pointed out at the time, the blurring was not entirely effective—discounts could still be discerned from image metadata.
What the Reversal Signals
The quick reversal suggests that transparency remains a key competitive weapon in the Belgian supermarket price war. While hiding prices from competitors is strategically appealing, it may not be worth alienating customers who value advance price visibility for planning purposes.
For a discount retailer whose core promise is transparency and low prices, the experiment may have conflicted with Aldi’s brand identity. As AGF.nl reported, the strategy was part of the “increasing competition between Belgian supermarket chains, especially between Aldi and Lidl.”
La Libre Belgique confirmed that anyone viewing the digital folder on Aldi’s website can now see fresh promotion prices immediately, including those for the following week.
What to Watch For
As the supermarket price war continues, the question is whether Aldi will adopt other tactics to limit competitive intelligence. The company has not ruled out future experiments, and the broader competitive dynamics—including the ongoing debate over Sunday openings—remain unresolved.
For now, Belgian shoppers can once again plan their weekly grocery runs with full knowledge of Aldi’s fresh promotions, a small victory for transparency in an increasingly competitive retail landscape.