German discounter Aldi has announced plans to invest more than £550 million (€644 million) in expanding and improving its store and distribution network in the United Kingdom during 2024.
The plans entail the creation of more than 1,500 jobs across the country, with further job opportunities in its current stores, regional distribution centres, and UK offices.
Long-Term Target
Aldi UK currently operates more than 1,000 stores and is continuing towards its long-term target of 1,500 locations, to meet growing demand.
The discounter is searching for freehold town centre or edge-of-town sites that are around 1.5 acres and can accommodate a 20,000-square-foot store with around 100 parking spaces.
‘In 2024 And Beyond’
“We’re continuing to welcome more and more new customers through our door, with people coming for our low prices, but staying for our award-winning quality and British sourcing,” said Giles Hurley, CEO of Aldi UK and Ireland.
“However, there are still areas of the country that don’t have an Aldi, or that need more or larger stores, to meet demand. That is what our 2024 expansion plans aim to address. We now have more than 1,000 stores across the UK, but there are plenty more Aldi stores still to come, in 2024 and beyond,” Hurley added.
Christmas Sales
In January, the British arm of Aldi reported an 8% rise in sales in the four weeks to 24 December, to top £1.5 billion (€1.73 billion) for the first time, while its smaller rival, Lidl GB, posted an even better 12% increase in the same period.
Both chains noted that they recorded their busiest-ever day of trading on Friday 22 December 2023, with more than 2.5 million customers coming through the doors of Aldi thereon.
The two German-owned retailers are Britain’s fastest-growing supermarkets, according to market research firm Kantar.
Inflation
Shoppers have turned to the discount chains as the cost of food and drink in Britain has surged by 27% in the last two years.
Overall inflation has eased, but food and drink prices in November were still more than 9% higher than a year earlier, according to government data.
Lidl GB noted that around 4.5 million more people shopped at its stores in December than they did a year earlier.
