The rise of hard discounters has been monumental. These stores sell a limited selection of consumer-packaged goods and perishables – typically fewer than 2,500 stock keeping units – for prices that are usually 50 to 60 per cent lower than national brands. Chains such as Aldi, Lidl, Trader Joe’s, Eurospin, Biedronka, DIA, BIM, Netto and Leader Price have irrevocably changed the face of retail in Europe, Australia and increasingly the United States. But can hard…