Aldi has set out plans to open 500 more shops across the country, after opening its 1000th UK store today in Woking.
The discount supermarket said it has seen demand grow as shoppers turn to lower-priced options amid the cost-of-living crisis. According to market research firm Kantar, Aldi is the fastest-growing supermarket in the UK, the fourth-largest by market share. Fellow discounter Lidl has also seen its market share rise.
Aldi UK and Ireland CEO Giles Hurley, said: “Opening our 1,000th store is a huge milestone and wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our 40,000 incredible colleagues.
“Our popularity is growing, and there is huge demand for people to have an Aldi store near to them to increase shoppers’ access to our unbeatable prices.
“The next phase of our expansion will involve another 500 new stores over the coming years. It is a long-term target and is not a ceiling to our ambition to have an Aldi store close to everyone in the UK.”
In total, Aldi plans to invest £1.3 billion into its expansion plans over the next two years. The expansion will include 20 more new shops this year. That is an average of a new store opening every six days.
Last month, Aldi revealed it is planning to hire more than 1,700 workers in its warehouses.
At the time, Kelly Stokes, recruitment director at Aldi UK, said: “As we continue to grow and attract new shoppers, we need even more amazing colleagues at our distribution sites to make everything possible.”
