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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
Business news
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.
