Discount supermarket

A discount store is a retail store which sells products at prices that are lower than the typical market value. A "full-line discount store" or "mass merchandiser" may offer a wide assortment of goods with a focus on price rather than service, display, or wide choice - such as Aldi and Lidl; a "speciality", "single line", or "category killer" discount store may specialize in specific merchandise such as jewelry, electronic equipment, or electrical appliances, relying on bulk purchase and efficient distribution to keep down cost - such as Toys "R" Us and Staples. Discount stores are not variety stores, which sell goods at a single price-point or multiples thereof (£1, $2, etc.). Discount stores differ from variety stores in that they sell many name-brand products, and because of the wide price range of the items offered. Following World War II, a number of retail establishments in the U.S. began to pursue a high-volume, low-profit-margin strategy designed to attract price-conscious consumers. This strategy has received renewed interest from retailers and customers alike stemming from the Great Recession that began in 2007 that forced buyers to revisit the approach to the products they wanted.

Currently Aldi, the largest retailer in the world (Planet Retail Ranking; June 2014), operates more than 10,121 discount stores worldwide.

Australia has four main discount stores including Aldi, Big W, Kmart, and Target, plus in the Sydney region only, Victoria's Basement.

Woolworths entered Canada in the 1920's, but the stores were converted to the Foot Locker, Champs Sports and other stores by 1994. Kresge's entered Canada in 1929. Zellers was founded in 1931, and was acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1978. Giant Tiger opened its first store in Ottawa in 1961, modeled on Woolworths. Winners was founded in 1982 in Toronto, and sells off-price brand clothing. Costco entered Canada in 1986. In 1990, the American chain Walmart purchased the Woolco chain in Canada, and converted the stores to Walmarts. Dollarama was founded in Quebec in 1992. In 1998, Zellers bought out Kmart Canada, taking over its stores. In 2011, Marshalls, owned by the American TJX Companies, entered Canada, and Zellers sold most of its stores to Target, but still operates 2 stores (in Etobicoke and Nepean) as liquidation centres for The Bay merchandise. Target Canada filed for bankruptcy in 2015, selling its stores to Walmart, Lowe's and Canadian Tire. In 2016, the Hudson's Bay Company started opening Saks Off 5th locations to sell off-price brands. American off-price chain Nordstrom Rack has announced that its first Canadian location will be opened in Vaughan Mills in 2018.

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Wikipedia