Lidl Supermarket Economy Kilts

[Stewart Rendall]

Apparently there were still plenty in the Gorgie store in Edinburgh yesterday afternoon. That might have something to do with the famous Gold Bros cutting their cheapest 'kilt' to 19.99 though.

[McClef]

As it seems to have gone so well I wonder if Lidl will repeat the experiment next year also.

I would be surprised if the Gorgie store hasn't sold out well before the end of the week, Gold Bros not withstanding.

[Freelander Sporrano]

As it seems to have gone so well I wonder if Lidl will repeat the experiment next year also.

Lidl usually repeat their offers . They had a nice telescope for sale here in Norway two years running. I missed out the first time but was lucky the second

[cessna152towser]

BBC Scotland News carried the story last night - said the kilts had sold out very quickly. They did a comparison, with the same reporter appearing in one of Lidl's kilt outfits and at Houstons of Paisley in one of their outfits, with representatives from each of Lidl and Houstons given an opportunity to describe the differences in quality.

[Darkislander]

I'm not one of the folks who was in the queue at the East Kilbride Lidl.
I was curious to have a look, but I was at work Monday.

[McClef]

Good publicity for Houstons one hopes.

[Monkey@Arms]

A, perhaps, final article on the sale.

Fire risk on Burns Night?
By Laurence Ford
Published: 26 January, 2008

IT'S enough to make the bold bard choke on his haggis, neeps and tatties!

And no doubt Rabbie would have been able to pen a suitable line or two about the latest offering from German supermarket giants Lidl.

For the firm – whose motto is Where Quality is Cheaper – has come up with a Burns Night special which will have traditionalists doing a real Highland fling.

The latest offer from Lidl, which has a store on Telford Street – is its Highland Collection which offers a kilt for £24.99 and a full kilt ensemble for the amazing price of £55.

Included in the deal is a Jacobite shirt, a casual kilt in a choice of MacKenzie, Douglas or Black Watch tartans, a leather sporran and kilt hose.

Lidl say: "The Highland Collection is a range of quality traditional Highland dress designed in Scotland exclusively for Lidl.

"The casual kilt with Jacobite shirt is one of the most versatile styles of Highland dress, perfect for formal events such as a Burns Night celebration or wearing to show your support for the national football or rugby teams."

But this week, traditional kiltmakers turned an astonished shade of tartan and tore a strip off Lidl's cut-price kilts.

Ian Chisholm, of the old established Inverness firm of Duncan Chisholm & Sons, thought the gimmick would, in general, bring more attention to wearing the kilt.

He had, however, a few words of warning for people who took advantage of Lidl's special offer.

Said Ian: "Our kilts are very substantial with eight yards of top quality material, but these are very lightweight things. There is also a danger of a fire hazard in them. I have heard reports of people going too close to a fire and the kilt going up in flames. There was a case down south where one of them went up in smoke. I think that is part of the danger of these kilts."

And, Ian went on: "There is also the point being made that they are great for rugby or football matches, but if you went to a rugby or football match in one of these on a cold day you would freeze to death – or even worse!

City residents queued up for the £25 kilts, which sold out within hours.

"There is nothing to them. It's all polyester. We would compare it to a child's Christmas present like a nurse's uniform or cowboy outfit."

Lidl's operations manager in Scotland Gordon Greens said he had heard of the concerns from traditional kiltmakers in Scotland that it could impact on their sales.

"I don't believe that to be the case. In fact I think it will have the opposite effect.

"I had one of these casual kilts myself which I used for rugby matches but I eventually had a traditional kilt made and yes I can assure you they are a lot warmer.

"There has been tremendous coverage on TV and radio about these off-the-peg kilts before they went on sale and there were queues outside our stores, including the one at Inverness on Monday morning, so they were snapped up very quickly.

"We were taken by surprise be the reaction and we have taken names of customers who came in to our stores when they were sold out. We are in touch with our suppliers to see if we can get some more to satisfy demand."

Regarding safety concerns, Lidl failed to return with a comment.

Best regards,

Jake

[Mr. MacDougall]

I think most of us have encountered that effect. You get the cheap kilt, and it's nice enough, but then you start getting dissatisfied with it, and want something better... and before you know it, you're parting with five hundred clams for a hand-sewn wool number.

[auld argonian]

I think most of us have encountered that effect. You get the cheap kilt, and it's nice enough, but then you start getting dissatisfied with it, and want something better... and before you know it, you're parting with five hundred clams for a hand-sewn wool number.

...agree...you're parting with the 5 bills and are HAPPY to be doing so.

Best

AA

[GG]

Lidl's operations manager in Scotland Gordon Greens said he had heard of the concerns from traditional kiltmakers in Scotland that it could impact on their sales.
"I don't believe that to be the case. In fact I think it will have the opposite effect".

I think he is basically right; Lidl’s one week low prices on kilts shouldn’t harm the traditional kilt maker’s business; on the contrary they should face a growing demand, initiated by Lidl’s activities, helping bringing the kilt “back” to the Scots, meaning have them use it for other purposes than just weddings, Burn’s nights etc.
However:
You get what you pay for, some people will say. Can be true; isn’t necessarily so. You can easily get less than you pay for. Or maybe more important: you can get more than you need (and are willing to pay for). Here I see a danger for the traditional kilt makers. What if “people” are satisfied with less than a handmade super quality kilt? What, if they don’t care about utmost precision, 100 % woolen plaid, eight yards of it, hand sewn instead of using the machine, and so on?
The kilt maker’s reaction indicate that they know or at least have an idea, that “quality” is not and has never been determined by producers or sellers but by customers. If customers in general are satisfied with less, the traditional kilt makers have a problem.
You know it from watches. About 15-20 years ago there existed a lot of Swiss watch makers, almost all of them selling their “brands” at high prices. Then came the Quartz-based watches and even the cheapest watch had the demanded precision built-in. What is left of the Swiss watch industry is a handful of brands that were and still are brands enough to survive - and still sell at high prices (Rolex, Omega etc.).
Another example is the furniture market. Back in the 60ties it was almost revolutioned by Swedish based IKEA, starting selling furniture in adequate design and quality and coming in flat boxes. Most cabinet makers marketing handmade furniture soon disappeared. Nevertheless, top designed furniture has remained on the market, along with the IKEA products. Do you see any resemblance to the kilt market? I do. I understand why some kilt makers fear the competition from Gold Bros, Stillwater, The Frugal Corner, Lidl and the like.
From a marketing strategic point of view I should reconsider my future steps, were I in their shoes. I should very much think of how to survive in a changing world. One possibility for some traditional kilt makers could be using their skills to have better kilts (than today’s affordable kilts) produced for less than today, even if it might mean production outside of Scotland. I mean, my German Hugo Boss jeans are made in Romania.


Best regards,

Greg