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ALDI REVEALS WHICH TOWNS AND CITIES WILL BENEFIT FROM RECORD £1.6BN EXPANSION PLAN
17 September, 2025
Aldi has revealed some of the towns and cities that it is targeting with its £1.6bn expansion plan over the next two years.
In its annual trading update earlier this week, the UK’s fourth-largest supermarket said it planned to open 80 stores across 2026 and 2027 to meet the UK’s growing demand for affordable groceries. As well as new stores, the record investment will go towards upgrading existing ones, as well as the development of Aldi’s distribution network.
The retailer, which currently has 1,060 stores, has previously announced plans to scale to 1,500 stores across the UK. It said its expansion would create thousands of jobs and more opportunities for British suppliers.
Some of the locations that Aldi is targeting for new stores in the next couple of years include:
- Amersham, Buckinghamshire
- Northallerton, North Yorkshire
- Hastings, East Sussex
- Watford, Hertfordshire
- Orpington, Greater London
- Newport, South Wales
- Ashford, Kent
- Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire
- Edgware Road, London
- Telford, Shropshire
- Balsall Common, West Midlands
- Willesden, London
- Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire
- Hattersley, Greater Manchester
- Egremont, Cumbria
- Dudley, West Midlands
- Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire
- Hanworth, Greater London
- Exmouth, Devon
- Yate, South Gloucestershire
- Malton, North Yorkshire,
- Newport, Isle of Wight
- Kentish Town, London
Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer for Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “Shoppers are still finding things difficult and that’s why we’re staying laser-focused on doing what Aldi does best – offering customers great quality products at unbeatable prices.
“Nobody else is making the same commitment to everyday low prices – no clubs, no gimmicks, no tricks – just prices our customers can trust, and quality they can depend on.
“Since we opened our first UK store more than 35 years ago, we’ve brought high-quality, affordable groceries to almost 800 towns and cities, but there are hundreds more communities that don’t have an Aldi nearby.
“We’re more determined than ever to meet that demand, and that’s why we’re investing a record £1.6bn over the next two years, to bring Aldi prices closer to millions more customers.”
Aldi confirmed its investment plans alongside financial results for the 12 months to December 2024, which showed sales increased to £18.1bn* (2023: £17.9bn). Latest data shows Aldi’s sales have accelerated again in 2025, with market share now at 10.8%**. Earlier this year it overtook Asda to become the UK’s third largest grocer by value of food and drink sales**.
* Group figures to YE 31 December 2024 for UK & Ireland
** Kantar Worldpanel data, 12 weeks or 52 weeks to 10th August 2025
ENDS
For more information, please contact the Aldi Press Office on:
T: 0161 235 0300 or aldi@citypress.co.uk
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ALDI BACKS CHARITY CALL FOR SUPERMARKETS TO MAKE FREE PERIOD PRODUCTS AVAILABLE IN STORE TOILETS
13 August, 2026- New Aldi-commissioned research reveals 67% of shoppers think supermarkets should provide free period products in customer toilets
- Three quarters (75%) say free period products should be as readily available in supermarket toilets as toilet paper and soap
- Aldi is backing charity partner Freedom4Girls’ call for other major UK supermarkets to make free period products available in store toilets where facilities allow.
Aldi is supporting its charity partner, Freedom4Girls, in calling for more supermarkets to make free period products available in store toilets, as new research reveals shoppers support supermarkets providing free access to essential period products.
Tina Leslie MBE, founder of Freedom4Girls and Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, have jointly written to the chief executives of major UK supermarkets, calling on them to make free period products available where store facilities allow.
The Aldi-commissioned survey of 2,000 UK shoppers found that 67% believe supermarkets should provide free pads and tampons in customer toilets, while 67% say they would be more likely to view a supermarket positively if it offered the service.
The research also found that three quarters (75%) of shoppers think period products should be treated as an everyday bathroom essential, just like toilet paper and soap, while 66% say supermarkets have an important role to play in supporting people who may struggle to access or afford them.
It comes after Aldi became the first UK supermarket to offer free period products in all customer and colleague toilets, with customers and colleagues able to take what they need, when they need it – no code word or loyalty scheme needed.
Since launching the initiative in March 2025, Aldi has provided one million free period products through its store toilets, helping to make everyday essentials such as tampons and pads more accessible to everyone who needs them.
Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, said: "Access to period products should be a basic right, not a privilege. That is why we made free period products available in our store toilets for customers and colleagues, with no questions asked.
"The latest research shows shoppers support supermarkets making period products more accessible. Together with Freedom4Girls, we’ve written to the chief executives of other major UK supermarkets, encouraging them to consider introducing free period products where facilities allow.
"This is a simple, practical step that could make a real difference to customers and colleagues across the country. These products are essential, and we believe making them freely available is the right thing to do."
Tina Leslie MBE, Founder of Freedom4Girls, a menstrual equity charity dedicated to tackling period poverty, said: "Period poverty remains a huge issue in the UK, and we’re encouraged to see Aldi continuing to use its platform to push for wider change.
"Providing free period products in supermarket toilets is a practical way to help people access what they need discreetly and with dignity. We would welcome more retailers taking similar action to help tackle stigma, affordability and access."
The findings also suggest that free period products in supermarket toilets would help tackle a range of barriers, with 69% of shoppers saying the provision would help people who unexpectedly come on their period while away from home, 58% saying it would help those who cannot afford products when they need them, and 48% saying it would reduce embarrassment around asking for or buying period products.
When asked where free period products should be made available, 56% of shoppers selected supermarket customer toilets, ahead of shopping centres, transport hubs and leisure centres.
62% also said they would expect large supermarkets to provide free period products in customer toilets, while just over half (51%) said they would be more likely to shop with a retailer that made period products freely available in-store.
Among those who have or have ever had a period, 53% said they had been caught short without period products while shopping or away from home, while 93% said they had used toilet roll, tissue or another alternative because they did not have a product available.
Aldi’s in-store provision forms part of its wider commitment to supporting communities and improving access to everyday essentials. The supermarket has also donated one million period products to people experiencing period poverty through partnerships with charities including Freedom4Girls.
Customers can also donate period products through Aldi’s in-store donation points, with items distributed to food banks and charitable organisations via its community partner Neighbourly.
ENDS
*Research carried out in July 2026 by OnePoll among a sample of 2,000 UK shoppers.