Aldi plans 500 new stores in next phase of expansion as 1000th UK location opens

German discount supermarket, Aldi, has opened its 1,000th location in the UK and set out ambitions for expansion to a further 500 sites in the coming years.

The latest opening by the retailer is part of a two-year £1.3 billion investment plan, which includes the opening of a further 20 sites by the end of the year. Plans also include nearly £10 million to be invested this year in its Greater Manchester operations, including new and upgraded stores and at its Regional Distribution Centre in the city-region.

Aldi’s 1,000th store opened in Woking in South-East England, with athletes Rebecca Adlington and Tanni Grey-Thompson in attendance for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occasion. The supermarket chain is now on the hunt for more locations across the UK to meet its ambition to bring the total number of stores to 1,500.

Commenting on its 1,000-store milestone and future growth ambitions, Aldi UK and Ireland CEO, Giles Hurley, said:

“Opening our 1,000^th store is a huge milestone and wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our 40,000 incredible colleagues.

“Our popularity is growing, and there is huge demand for people to have an Aldi store near to them to increase shoppers’ access to our unbeatable prices.

“The next phase of our expansion will involve another 500 new stores over the coming years. It is a long-term target and is not a ceiling to our ambition to have an Aldi store close to everyone in the UK.”

A previous call for sites by the retailer in 2021 marked out Cheadle Heath, Cheadle Hulme, Hazel Grove, Heald Green and Stockport town centre as possible locations for new Aldi stores.

In addition to growth in the number of stores, the retailer has also grown its market share to become the fourth-largest supermarket in the UK, overtaking Morrisons. According to data from Kantar, approximately £1 in every £10 spent on groceries in the UK is at Aldi checkouts.