The discounter will boost its UK portfolio to 846 stores by the end of 2019, after previously pledging a target of 1,000 shops by 2022. But after UK sales topped £10billion for the first time in 2017, the nation’s fifth largest supermarket then raised this target to 1,200 stores by 2025. Aldi is planning on opening 12 new branches over the next 12 weeks, including stores in London, Mirror Money reports. Nine more shops will open by the end of the year.
Matthew Barnes, the UK and Ireland chief executive of the Aldi, said: “If you look at the population, we think not only could we have a store in every town and city, but for every 25,000 to 30,000 people.”
Aldi UK sales smashed past £10billion as the chain reported its first rise in annual operating profit for four years.
Profits at the UK and Irish arm of the German supermarket jumped by almost 30 percent to £265million in 2017 as sales rose by 16.4 percent to £10.2billion.
The Aldi expansion comes after rival food giant Lidl announced its own plans to open brand new stores.
Lidl last week said it was opening 40 new stores over the next five years, creating 1,500 jobs in the process as part of a £500million expansion plan.
The full list has yet to be announced, but will include its most central London store to date.
The expansion will see Lidl open a new branch on Tottenham Court Road.
Lidl currently has 760 stores in the UK.
ALDI STORES OPENING IN SUMMER 2019
Camden High Street, London: opening 27 June 2019
Rothwell, West Yorkshire: opening 4 July 2019
Western Avenue Retail Park, Cardiff: opening 4 July 2019
Wokingham, Elms Field, Wellington Road: opening 11 July 2019
Brunel Road, Newton Abbot: opening 1 August 2019
Maskew Avenue, Peterborough: opening 1 August 2019
Oliver Place, Preston: opening 1 August 2019
Tower Road, Lowestoft: opening 8 August 2019
Coppice Farm Way, Willenhall: opening 22 August 2019
Holliers Walk, Hinckley: opening 29 August 2019
Myrekirk Road, Dundee: opening 29 August 2019
Borehamwood Retail Park, Borehamwood: opening 29 August 2019
ALDI STORES OPENING LATER IN 2019
Basingstoke, Hampshire
Evesham, Worcestershire
High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
Hythe, Kent
Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire
Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
Ruabon, Wrexham
South Elmsall, Wakefield
Shrewsbury, Shropshire