In a bold move, Lidl Netherlands has announced it will end multi-buy and bulk discount promotions on food products, such as “buy one get one free” or stacked deals that require buying several items to unlock a reduced price. The retailer says this change is intended to make unit pricing more transparent and prevent customers from being misled by seemingly attractive offers that obscure the real cost of an item. Lidl argues that these volume promotions often inflate regular prices and encourage unnecessary purchases.
This decision is significant in the Dutch grocery market, which is traditionally dominated by aggressive promotional mechanics. Dutch supermarkets, including Albert Heijn and Jumbo, routinely run thousands of bulk deals annually to drive footfall and sales. Consumer organisations like the Consumentenbond and Questionmark, have been critical of such promotions, linking them to overconsumption, food waste and less transparent pricing.
A retail expert has calculated that if all Dutch supermarkets would stop bulk discounts, regular prices would be 8 percent lower and 1 to 2 percent could be saved on supply chain costs.
Lidl’s broader international operations continue to balance low everyday prices with regular discount campaigns rather than removing multi-buy pricing entirely.