Does Estonia have discount supermarket chains like Aldi and Lidl?

Question

I'm back in Europe for the first time in eight years, and starting in a country I've never visited before, Estonia.

My budget is low but it's off season. I've found the cheapest hostel. But I'm having trouble finding the cheapest food.

Usually when I'm in Europe I buy most of my food and supplies from the budget supermarket chains such as Aldi, Lidl, and, in Finland, Alepa. But I don't think any of these chains operate in Estonia. I can find full-priced supermarkets and convenience stores of course.

Does Estonia have their own local discount supermarket chain, or some other international one I'm not familiar with?

I'm in the historic centre and it's cold so I haven't yet explored very far and wide. I'm Googling but without much success.

Answer 1

Food is taxed arguably high in Estonia at 20% (law reference in Estonian) compared to the EU average of 5-6% (source in Estonian). This means it's a recurring discussion both politically and in news coverage.

This coverage (in Estonian) from September 2019 gives the following lineup for a sample purchase of ~50 items (shown at the bottom of the article):

(All rights reserved to the source, Delfi.)

The prices in brackets are with the given shop's loyalty card.
Given the above, your current best option would be on average: Grossi, followed by Coop with loyalty, followed by Maxima.

Since you're located in the historic centre, you might have to default to Rimi as the cheaper shops don't usually operate too close to the centre due to high rents.

Answer 2

Rimi is a Norwegian budget supermarket with branches in Estonia, but I am not sure how the prices compare to other grocery stores.

There are at least three Rimi stores in Tallinn's old town, so they may be worth looking into.