- What’s the craziest thing you have bought from the Middle of Lidl? Email fran.wolfisz@mailonline.co.uk
More men are flocking to buy items from the middle of Lidl, a bargain aisle famously offering a quirky array of power tools, canoes and even flamethrowers.
UK boss Ryan McDonnell said the chain’s centre rows had a ‘big male following’ and had become synonymous with being the place to grab a must-have purchase – even if customers enter the store originally for a different purpose.
Lidl has grown in popularity across Britain since it arrived 30 years ago, with the German discount supermarket chain this morning reporting a return to profit.
The company confirmed a pre-tax profit of £43million in 2023/24 compared to a loss of £76m the previous year.
It also saw a 16.9 per cent jump in revenue, with sales of nearly £11bn.
While not wholly attributable to that success, Mr McDonnell does believe the centre aisle has become a talking point and attracted more male shoppers through the doors.
A wealth of Facebook pages, Reddit threads and Youtube videos are even dedicated to documenting the middle-aisle finds.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr McDonnell said: ‘We often get partners at odds with each other because men have disappeared up the aisle and are buying things they maybe already have.’
More men are flocking to buy items from the middle of Lidl, a bargain aisle famously offering a quirky array of items, including this Yamaha Seascooter for £400
This ingenious item allows you to leave the party early – with a glass of prosecco in your pocket
An inflatable avocado with a beach ball core is surely a must-have purchase for anyone
He added: ‘There are some interesting shopping habits in this aisle. I would say there are a lot of men in trouble when they come in here.’
On a Reddit thread about quirky finds, one user wrote: ‘My mum came back with a two-man canoe despite not living near any suitable body of water or being interested in canoeing previously.’
Another said: ‘I bought a trumpet for about £80, spent a couple of years learning to play it, then played with several jazz bands round Glasgow. Great buy.’
A third wrote that they had purchased a gazebo, adding: ‘I only went in there for some sausages.’
Other novel items that found their way into people’s shopping trolleys including a flamethrower for getting rid of weeds, ice spikes that attach to shoes, a cement mixer, electric hoist, snack helmet and an inflatable hot tub.
Customers have also ended up purchasing pocket prosecco glasses, an inflatable avocado with removable beach ball core, a seascooter, a welding helmet, a microwave potato cooker, a vacuum sealer and a UV phone sanitiser.
A fish cushion is among the novelty items that can be found in Lidl’s famed middle aisle
Lidl has grown in popularity across Britain since it arrived 30 years ago, with the German discount supermarket chain this morning reporting a return to profit