Aldi has revealed where it’s still looking to open new stores after official data shows it has become Britain’s fourth largest supermarket. In its annual trading update, Aldi said it had attracted record numbers of new shoppers in the past six months as pandemic restrictions were lifted.
The latest data from Kantar shows Aldi attracted 1.5 million extra customers to its stores over the past 12 weeks and sales grew at 18.7%, overtaking Morrisons with a market share of 9.3%. The supermarket, which has over 970 stores, said it planned to open 16 more stores before the end of the year and is set to create over 6,000 new jobs across the country this year as it continues to expand.
The areas where Aldi is still looking to bring new stores include cities like Bath and Birmingham, as well as smaller towns such as Penzance and Maidenhead. Aldi is searching for freehold town-centre or edge-of-centre sites suitable for property development. The site should be able to accommodate a 20,000 sq foot store with around 100 parking spaces. Ideally the location will be near a main road with good visibility and access.
Aldi will also be investing in the development of new and expanded distribution centres, including its new distribution centres in Bedford and distribution centre in Leicestershire. Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer for Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “The cost-of-living crisis is worsening, and it’s being felt by millions of households across the UK. It’s in times like these when our customers rely on us the most, which is why we’re focusing on continuing to deliver our longstanding price promise by offering the lowest possible prices in Britain, every single day.
“Independent research shows our discount is as compelling as ever and that’s why more and more people are switching to Aldi. We will do whatever it takes to maintain our discount to the traditional full price supermarkets and keep grocery prices as low as possible for the millions of customers that shop with Aldi.”
Some of the areas Aldi is targeting across the country include:
- South East – Caversham, Farnham, Maidenhead and Worthing
- South West – Bath, Teignmouth and Penzance
- West Midlands – Birmingham, Coventry and Warwick
- East Midlands – Chesterfield, Leicester and Derby
- East of England – Cheshunt, Brentwood and Rayleigh
- North West – Warrington, West Didsbury and Formby
- North East – Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland
- Yorkshire – Harrogate, Otley and York
- Scotland – Cathcart, Bonnyrigg and Ladysmill
- Wales – Barry and Chepstow
