Aldi shops at Publicis Media for £646m global account

Aldi has consolidated its estimated £645.6m global media planning and buying account into Publicis Media following a competitive review launched in January, and a final shoot-out against WPP Media and Omnicom Media Group.

The French-owned agency group will now create a new “Aldi One” model to pool the business that was previously handled by multiple Publicis agencies, including Starcom (UK and US) and Zenith (Ireland and Australia).

The appointment is expected to cover all of Aldi’s markets worldwide, meaning Omnicom Media Group loses the German business, while WPP has been axed in other European markets.

McCann continues to serve as Aldi’s creative agency in the UK.

Earlier this week, the German-owned discounter revealed that in the year ending December 2024, it achieved record worldwide sales, reaching €112 billion, driven by aggressive expansion and a continued focus on value as consumers faced cost-of-living pressures.

The company invested heavily in opening new stores in key markets like the UK and the US, while also innovating with checkout-free technology to enhance the customer experience and maintain its low-cost advantage.

The UK arm reported a significant 4.8% rise in sales to £18.1bn, while it has also announced plans to invest £1.6bn over the next two years (2026-27), opening 80 more UK stores.