German discount supermarket Aldi, which operates more than 13,600 stores across 18 countries, has cut its shortlist to three. Omnicom, Publicis, and WPP are still in competition, while Havas and Accenture are out of the running for the £700m account.
Publicis won the global media account in September 2025 and has a bespoke unit, Aldi One, ready to go if it wins the creative pitch. Independent agency Pablo currently handles the Aldi Ireland creative account.
The UK, US and Germany are Aldi’s three biggest markets. In the UK, McCann Manchester has handled the 80 year old retailer’s business since 2005, surviving a pitch in 2016. Now part of Omnicom after the IPG merger, the agency’s popular Kevin the Carrot Christmas campaigns (pictured) have boosted the brand every year for a decade. McCann also handles Aldi in Germany, while Leo is the main US agency.
Aldi split into two units in 1961 due to a disagreement over selling cigarettes. South covers Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, Hungary, Italy, UK, Ireland, US, Australia and China, while North is made up of Germany, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain. Both units are up for grabs.
