Aldi plans to open 500 more supermarket stores in the UK
- German supermarket opens its 1,000th UK store in Woking
- A year ago, Aldi overtook Morrisons to become the UK’s fourth biggest grocer.
- Two-thirds of Britons now shop at Aldi, according to research agency Kantar
Aldi has revealed an ambitious target of increasing the number of British stores by 50 per cent, as shoppers continue to seek bargains amid the cost of living crisis.
It was already planning to open 1,200 outlets in the UK by the end of 2025, but is now aiming to open 1,500 shops in the longer term to meet growing demand.
To achieve this aim, the company says it intends to invest billions of pounds into the country’s economy, including £1.3 billion under the current two-year investment plan.
The German supermarket announced the new target on the same day it opened its 1,000th UK store in Woking, Surrey, its 150th site in the South East.
Expansion target: Discount retailer Aldi was already planning to open 1,200 outlets in the UK by the end of 2025, but is now aiming to open 1,500 shops in the longer term.
A year ago, the group overtook Morrisons to become Britain’s fourth biggest grocer as rising inflation forced cash-strapped consumers to do more of their shopping at discount retailers.
Food prices have risen massively over the past 18 months, reaching a record annual rate of 19.2 percent last March, partly due to rising energy bills and the cost of everyday commodities such as wheat and grain due to the Ukraine war. Reason.
Nearly two-thirds of Britons now shop at Aldi, up 1.1 million from the previous year, according to figures from market research agency Kantar.
But even before the Ukraine conflict and resulting economic crisis, low prices had helped supermarkets gradually increase their market share over a decade.
Since 2009, Aldi has increased its share of UK grocery sales more than five-fold, from 2 per cent to 10.2 per cent for the 12 weeks ending 6 August, the first time it has crossed the double-digit mark Have done
Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK & Ireland, said: ‘Our popularity is growing, and there is huge demand for people to have an Aldi store near them to increase shoppers’ access to our unbeatable prices.
‘The next phase of our expansion will include another 500 new stores in the coming years. This is a long-term goal and there is no limit to our ambition to have an Aldi store close to everyone in the UK.’
Some supermarkets have vowed to match the prices of key products, responding to the growing popularity of budget retailers such as Aldi and Lidl.
Sainsbury’s now has over 400 items as part of its Aldi Price Match campaign, while Tesco has over 500 in its equivalent campaign.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
