Aldi has announced plans to invest a record £1.6billion over the next two years, opening 80 stores as sales continue to rise. The bargain supermarket giant said it was "more determined than ever" to meet the UK's growing demand for affordable groceries as more families look to balance household budgets.
A total of 21 stores will open in the next 13 weeks, including Shoreditch in London, Durham in the North East, and Kirkintilloch in Scotland. Earlier this year, it confirmed 20 priority locationswhere it was actively seeking sites, including Bromley and Ealing in Greater London, South Shields in Tyne and Wear, and Witney in Oxfordshire.
The retailer, which currently has 1,060 stores, has previously announced plans to scale to 1,500 stores across the UK. It said its expansion will create thousands of jobs and more opportunities for British suppliers.
Giles Hurley, chief executive officer for Aldi UK and Ireland, said: "Shoppers are still finding things difficult and that's why we're staying laser focused on doing what Aldi does best - offering customers great quality products at unbeatable prices. No clubs, no gimmicks, no tricks - just prices our customers can trust and quality they can depend on."
He added: "Since we opened our first UK store over 35 years ago, we've brought high-quality, affordable groceries to almost 800 towns and cities, but there are hundreds more communities that don't have an Aldi nearby.
"We're more determined than ever to meet that demand, and that's why we're investing a record £1.6billion over the next two years, to bring Aldi prices closer to millions more customers."
Aldi confirmed its investment plans alongside financial results for the 12 months to December 2024, which showed sales increased to £18.1billion.
However, profits fell by more than a fifth to £435.5million, with the drop attributed to investment in price cuts, infrastructure and higher pay.
The supermarket has increased the pay for Store Assistants twice this year. Effective from the start of this month, colleagues now earn a minimum of £13.02 per hour nationally and £14.35 within the M25.
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