Placing plant-based alternatives on the meat shelf boosts their sales, Lidl finds

Lidl Netherlands has revealed that sales of its meat alternatives increased when they were placed directly next to traditional meat products.

The new research from Lidl Netherlands, carried out in collaboration with Wageningen University and the World Resources Institute, involved trialling the meat alternatives’ placement on the meat shelf – in addition to the vegetarian shelf – for six months in 70 stores. The results showed that Lidl sold an average of 7% more meat alternatives during the pilot.

Monique van der Meer, researcher at Wageningen University, explained that while the positive effect decreased slightly over time, it was still significant at the end of the six-month period. Sales figures for meat products also fell slightly, but not significantly.

“During the pilot period, customers were also interviewed in the store and customer card holders could complete an online questionnaire,” she added. “This showed, among other things, that most customers generally think the placement of meat substitutes on the meat shelf is a good idea.”

Based on the results, Lidl said it will work to improve visibility of its meat alternatives in the long-term, as well as promising consumers improvements in quality and health credentials at the end of the year.

Chantal Goenee, sustainability and health advisor at Lidl Netherlands, revealed that the research also showed there was a clear need for meat substitutes in larger packages. Lidl Netherlands put this into practice immediately following the findings, with large packages now present in all of its 440 stores.

“The reason for the research is that we have an ambitious goal: by 2030 we want 60% of our protein sales to come from vegetable proteins,” Goenee commented.

She added: “In addition, we know from the research that visibility of our meat substitutes is an important factor in the customer’s choice to purchase or try a meat substitute, especially for customers who do not yet purchase meat substitutes. That is why we will focus even more on this in our stores and marketing in the near future.”

This latest news follows price reduction initiatives from Lidl in Belgium and Germany, whereby the retailers have lowered prices on their plant-based ranges in order achieve price parity with the products’ animal-derived counterparts. These initiatives all form part of the company’s broader 2030 plant-based protein targets.