Aldi to open 40 new UK stores this year as part of £370m investment

Aldi has unveiled plans to open 40 new stores across the UK this year as part of a £370 million investment pledge.

The German-owned discount retailer, which is Britain’s fourth biggest grocery chain, said it wanted to fill the “gaps” in areas where there are no stores.

The new investment forms part of its £1.6 billion two-year expansion programme announced in September, with the money going towards the opening of 80 new shops over the period.

Aldi, which currently has around 1,060 stores, is aiming to have 1,500 locations across the UK in the longer-term.

This year’s new stores are set to be in locations including Southam in Warwickshire, Hastings in East Sussex, and Amersham in Buckinghamshire.

It follows a slew of shop openings last year including Eastbourne, in East Sussex, Fulham Broadway in London and Deeside in Wales.

Giles Hurley, the chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said the group recognises that “there are still areas without an Aldi store, so our expansion plans for 2026 are designed to address some of these gaps”.

“We’ve always believed that access to high-quality affordable food is a right, not a privilege, and that’s why it’s our mission to make this a reality for customers up and down the UK,” he said.

Aldi recently revealed that it made £1.65 billion in sales over December, reporting strong demand for British-sourced meat and vegetables and festive picks like sparkling wine.

Sales rose by 3% over the four weeks to Christmas Eve, although this reflected slightly slower year-on-year growth than the previous festive season.