Aldi UK has announced it is set to open five new stores across Britain in the coming weeks in Southampton, Whittlesey, Castle Donington, Norwich and Porthcawl.
The British arm of the German discounter currently operates more than 990 UK stores and will be opening in new locations in June.
Each new store opening will create around 40 new jobs on average, according to the discounter.
Aldi said store assistants can earn an hourly wage of up to £11 nationally, and £12.45 inside the M25, with paid breaks included. These wages are to rise to £11.40 and £12.85, respectively, from July.
'Unbeatable Prices'
“Demand for Aldi has never been higher, and more than two thirds of British households already shop with us," said George Brown, real estate director at Aldi UK.
“However, there are still too many people for whom shopping at Aldi isn’t a convenient option and we’re committed to changing that, giving even more people access to our award-winning products at unbeatable prices," Brown added.
In February, Aldi UK announced plans to almost double its store estate in London, which currently comprises 60 stores.
Aldi is relatively under represented in the capital, which partly reflects a shortage of suitable sites, the company said.
To help identify sites, Aldi UK is offering property agents a finder’s fee of either 1.5% of a freehold price, or 10% of the first year’s rent for leasehold sites, for recommending a previously unknown site.
Expansion Plans
Aldi UK's overall store target is to increase its store count to 1,200 by 2025. It invested £700 million (€788.1 million) in 2022 and plans to invest £600 million (€675.5 million) in 2023.
Aldi UK plans to create over 6,000 jobs this year, continuing its expansion plans after a robust performance over the key holiday season.
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
