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ALDI ANNOUNCES £800M INVESTMENT IN BRITAIN AFTER RECORD SALES  

9 September, 2024

  • Aldi to invest an unprecedented £800m to accelerate expansion in Britain  
  • 23 new stores opening in the next 16 weeks  
  • Almost £100m of price cuts on over 300 products in the last three months, cutting grocery bills for millions of shoppers  
  • Latest annual results show its highest ever sales and increased profits  

The UK’s cheapest* supermarket, Aldi, has announced its largest ever package of annual investment to accelerate its expansion across Britain.  

Aldi said its focus on lowering prices and opening stores would bring ‘high-quality, affordable groceries to millions more British families’, whilst creating thousands of jobs and more opportunities for British suppliers.   

The supermarket said it planned to open 23 new locations before the end of the year, including Muswell Hill, London and Mere Green, Birmingham – marking a record £800m annual investment programme and a £1.4bn two-year plan. It is also refurbishing 100 existing stores this year as well as expanding its network of distribution centres and updating technology infrastructure to support its growth. The retailer, which currently has over 1,000 stores, has previously announced plans to scale to 1,500 stores across the UK. 

Aldi announced record investment alongside its latest annual results for the 12 months to December 2023, which showed sales increased by £2.4bn to £17.9bn** (2022: £15.5bn) – an increase of 16% and its highest ever period of sales growth – as British shoppers continued to prioritise value despite falling inflation. Latest data shows Aldi has a market share of 10%***.  

The company said its pre-tax profit had increased to £536.7m (2022: £152.6m), driven by record sales combined with greater efficiencies across its stores and central functions compared with the prior year. Reported operating profit increased to £552.9m (2022: £178.7m), representing a margin of 3.1%**.  

Aldi – which ranks as the UK’s most popular supermarket**** – said it had invested almost £100m in over 300 price cuts in the last three months, from fish goujons and chicken breasts to potatoes and peaches to breakfast cereal and Basmati rice. 

Recent price comparisons by consumer group Which? hail Aldi as undefeated this year as the UK’s cheapest grocer*, showing the traditional Big Four are currently on average 14% more expensive. Its latest ‘Can’t Match This’ TV ad campaign pokes fun at competitors attempting to ‘price match’ products in ongoing supermarket price wars.   

Aldi said it spent an extra £1.3bn with its 5,000 British suppliers last year, with that amount set to increase further as it established more long-term supply partnerships. Earlier this year, it confirmed a £750m deal with the family-owned, Kent-based fruit farm, AC Goatham & Son – which will include the first ever ‘Aldi Orchard’ on a 200-acre plot on New Green Farm in Gravesend. 

The supermarket has invested £79m so far this year in pay increases, including a second rise in June for Store Assistants from £12.00 to £12.40, and from £13.55 to £13.65 for those within the M25 – the best hourly rates in the sector.   

Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer for Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “British shoppers are voting with their feet and choosing Aldi as their first-choice supermarket. We’re responding with our biggest ever annual investment in Britain.  

“For every £1 of profit generated last year, we’re investing £2 this year – opening more stores and building the supply infrastructure to bring high-quality, affordable groceries to millions more families the length and breadth of Britain.  

“We’re also investing at record levels to cut prices, reward our amazing colleagues and support more causes in our local communities. All while creating thousands more jobs and even more opportunities for our growing base of British suppliers and farmers.” 

He added: “As we head towards the Christmas trading period, we’re all set to launch our biggest and best-ever seasonal range, including hundreds of premium range products at unbeatable prices for our customers.” 

ENDS 

* Which? Supermarket price comparison for August, published 5th September  

**Group figures to YE 31 December 2023 for UK & Ireland  

*** Kantar Worldpanel data, 12 weeks or 52 weeks to 4th August 2024 

****YouGov ‘The Most Popular Supermarket Chains’ (Q2 2024 

For more information, please contact the Aldi Press Office on:
T: 0161 235 0300 or aldi@citypress.co.uk

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THE £800 POSTCODE PENALTY: ALDI REVEALS OVER 200 TOWNS ARE PAYING HUNDREDS MORE FOR GROCERIES

16 January, 2026

Families in over 200 UK towns are paying up to £2,437 more per year on their grocery shopping simply because they lack access to a discount supermarket, new analysis from Aldi reveals today.

The research identifies a significant "discounter gap" across Britain, with communities from Stonehaven in Scotland to Totnes in the South West missing out on the savings that shoppers with access to Aldi enjoy.

The analysis shows that households without access to Aldi - which has been named the UK's Cheapest Supermarket by consumer champion Which? for the past five years - pay £826 more on average, rising to £2,437 in areas dominated by the highest-priced supermarkets. These figures are based on the average monthly cost difference between Aldi and either the average major UK supermarkets, or the most expensive UK supermarket, using the prices of a typical 68-item shopping basket tracked by Which?*.

The UK’s fourth-largest supermarket has mapped 220 locations across the UK where shoppers are facing a growing ‘postcode penalty’, with many paying significantly more for groceries because they lack access to a discount supermarket. These locations span every region of the country, including 35 towns in the South East, 30 in the East of England and 25 in Scotland.

Jonathan Neale, Managing Director of National Real Estate at Aldi UK, said: “No one should pay more for their weekly shop simply because of where they live. We believe every household should have access to high-quality, affordable food.

“With household budgets under intense pressure, local access to a discounter isn't just convenient – it can save families hundreds of pounds a year. These findings show that expanding access to Aldi is one of the simplest ways to reduce the cost of living for many.”

Aldi has invested £650 million across Britain through its store opening and refurbishment programme in 2025, with each new site creating around 40 jobs.

The discounter also recently announced it would be doubling down on its investment in Britain with a £1.6 billion commitment over the next two years, opening 40 stores each year as it moves towards its ambition to have 1,500 UK stores.

ENDS

*Savings were calculated using the latest findings from the Which? cheapest supermarket survey (December), which found a typical weekly shop of 68 items cost an average of £15.89 more than at Aldi at the average Big Four supermarket, and £46.86 more at the most expensive supermarket, Waitrose. Over 52 weeks, these savings would amount to £826.15 and £2,436.72 respectively.

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ALDI STORE COLLEAGUES TO GET ANOTHER PAY RISE AS SUPERMARKET EXTENDS MARKET-LEADING PAY RATES

13 January, 2026
  • Starting pay for Store Assistants will increase to £13.35 per hour nationally, and £14.71 inside the M25, from Sunday 1st March 2026
  • Rates increase to £14.30 per hour, and £15.03 within the M25, based on length of service
  • Aldi is also enhancing maternity pay, extending full pay to 26 weeks
  • Pay and benefits review represents a £36m investment in 2026 alone

Thousands of Aldi colleagues are set to receive market-leading rates of pay as part of a £36 million investment in pay and benefits by the UK's fourth-largest supermarket.

From Sunday 1st March 2026, starting pay for Store Assistants will rise to £13.35 per hour nationally, and £14.71 per hour within the M25, rising to £14.30 per hour and £15.03 within the M25 based on length of service.

Aldi is also increasing pay rates for Store Apprentices to £12.02 per hour outside the M25, and to £13.22 per hour inside the M25. These rates are significantly higher than the minimum wage for a first-year apprentice.

Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: "Our colleagues are at the heart of everything we do. Their hard work and dedication is what allows us to offer customers the quality, value and service they expect from Aldi. That’s why we're making such a significant investment in our promise to never be beaten on pay for our colleagues."

All Aldi colleagues will see their pay rise over the coming months, as well as receiving enhanced family-friendly benefits, with maternity pay extended to 26 weeks at full pay.

Aldi also remains the only supermarket to offer paid breaks to all its store colleagues – a benefit worth up to £1,470 a year to store colleagues.

Those interested in a career with Aldi can visit www.aldirecruitment.co.uk  for more information.

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