Aldi Tasmania: Are They Coming To Hobart Or Launceston?

Tasmania maintains a relatively affordable cost of living, especially compared to the Australian average, but that doesn’t mean Tasmanians would turn up their noses at greater options when it comes to their grocery stores.

With Aldi establishing a foothold on the Australian mainland all the way back in 2001 and now holding 12.5 percent of the market share, many Tasmanians wonder: Is Aldi Coming to Hobart or Tasmania? The answer might surprise you.

Is Aldi Coming To Hobart Or Tasmania?

In 2019 Aldi’s corporate headquarters released an official statement in response to rumors from Tasmanian hopefuls, affirming that the German discount grocer will not be opening stores in Tasmania and its capital city of Hobart. Since then, Aldi has made no further announcements to contradict their earlier statement.

To get some ideas about why Aldi isn’t coming to Hobart or Tasmania, learn some potential locations if they ever decide to open stores and find out where else in Tasmania you can get discounted grocery goods, keep reading!

Why Isn’t Aldi Coming To Hobart Or Tasmania?

While Aldi didn’t state explicitly any reasons for not opening locations in Hobart or greater Tasmania, there are a few reasons I can think of that might have something to do with it.

First, the cost of living on Tasmania is slightly cheaper than on the Australian mainland; while some shoppers still find the grocery prices high, there are plenty of supermarket choices for shopping around and finding the best value.

This, coupled with the low population in Tasmania – only 250,000 residents in the capital of Hobart, and that’s about half the total population of the entire island – plus an exceedingly low population density of 7.24 people per square km, doesn’t sound like Aldi’s ideal market.

The smallness of the island, too, could make finding appropriate locations difficult at this point, when many cities around the world are quite built up and have no room for anything new, except when old businesses close and vacate buildings.

Per their corporate website, Aldi is quite particular about location and market, so perhaps they are waiting until their market share in the rest of Australia has grown further.

What Are Potential Locations For Aldi Stores In Hobart Or Tasmania?

I think the obvious choice for the first Aldi location in Tasmania would be the capital city of Hobart.

Elsewhere, commenters on a thread in the Bring Aldi to Tasmania Facebook page also mention the cities of Launceston and Devonport.

Do People Want Aldi Stores In Hobart Or Tasmania?

Do People Want Aldi Stores In Hobart Or Tasmania?

Tasmanian and Hobartian desire for Aldi is pretty intense.

Many see that the main parts of Australia have over 500 Aldi stores – some even in rural areas – and wonder why they can’t have just one store.

ABC network’s Hobart local news asked residents what they’d like to see in their city; along with Ikea and Costco, Aldi ranked right up there.

One person who responded insisted that Aldi would “clean up” in Hobart, compared to the existing grocery stores.

Finally, one Sarah Blockley started a petition on change.org to bring Aldi to Tasmania.

She wrote, “Don’t you think it is a little unfair that very rural towns such as Casino in NSW have an Aldi store but Aldi stores…currently have no plans to bring a single store to Tasmania?”

She cited how Aldi’s Special Buys made it possible for her family to purchase things they needed and were able to get such great deals on them.

Unfortunately, Ms. Blockley could only garner 262 signatures, but her passion for the cause is clear.

Where Can People Shop Other Than Aldi In Hobart Or Tasmania?

The word “monopoly” comes up again and again in reference to Tasmania’s supermarket options.

This includes Woolworths and Coles supermarkets, which have recently been spotted “slashing prices on more than 200 products in a sure-fire sign that competition is heating up.”

In Hobart, there are many lovely smaller shops, including City Organics, a highly ranked all-organic market whose products remind me of Aldi’s Simply Nature, Earth Grown and liveGfree labels.

If you want to know more about Aldi, you might also be interested in reading up on whether or not Aldi is coming to New Zealand, if Aldi coming to Colorado, and if Aldi coming to Canada.

Conclusion

To Tasmanians’ dismay, Aldi stated they had no plans to open a store in Tasmania or Hobart, and the supermarket chain has not made any amendments since.

However, German grocer’s international growth has been exponential in the last five, even three years, so surely when the time is right, Tasmanians can expect their very own Aldi store.

Photo of author

Marques Thomas

Marques Thomas graduated with a MBA in 2011. Since then, Marques has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Marques is also the head writer and founder of QuerySprout.com.

Leave a Comment