Member Article

Aldi's £185m invest to open 50 new UK stores this year

Discount grocer Aldi says it plans to continue its UK expansion with 50 new stores in 2013, an investment of £185m.

The German brand will open its 500th store in Bury St Edmunds next month, as it has gained more than £1bn additional revenue since 2011.

Accounts for the year ended December 31 2012 show Aldi has grown pre-tax profits by 123.9% to £157.9m and its market share by 3.2%.

The firm say customers’ average basket size of 16-17 items is now almost on par with Morrisons and Sainsbury’s.

Joint group managing director, Roman Heini commented: “Whichever figures you look at, they all tell the same story of Aldi growth. Experts talk about polarisation among supermarkets as, along with Aldi, Waitrose is experiencing growth.

“We believe growth is down to one thing – customers demanding true value. They know they can always get high quality at low prices at Aldi.

“We are constantly working hard on improving operational efficiency and always maintain a focus on effective and responsible ways of working.

“We have done this for more than 20 years since we opened our doors in the UK, building a close network of mutually beneficial supplier relationships along the way. The end result is savings which we share with our customers through everyday low prices. This drives loyalty and satisfaction.”

Aldi has attempted to broaden its customer base into the middle classes, having introduced premium lines such as its “specially selected” range.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .