How county will cash in on £1.3 billion Aldi expansion
RETAIL GIANT PLANS 12 NEW STORES AND A WAREHOUSE
A £1.3 BILLION plan by supermarket chain Aldi to create thousands of jobs across the country is especially good news for people in Leicestershire.
In June, the retail giant announced it was in the market for 12 new stores in the county as part of an expansion that will also see a huge new warehousing and office complex open in North West Leicestershire.
Last month, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council granted Aldi permission to build the 1.3 million sq ft centre at the former Nailstone Colliery site.
The national distribution centre, between Coalville and Market Bosworth, could create up to 750 jobs, which Aldi said would include management roles, office assistants, warehouse operatives, engineers and drivers.
The company is expected to create more than 2,000 jobs next year and open 100 new stores in the next two years. It already has more than 900 UK stores.
Sales have grown 10.2 per cent to a record £13.5 billion in the year to December 31, 2020, Aldi said in its annual trading update.
Giles Hurley, chief executive officer for Aldi UK and Ireland, praised workers’ “remarkable dedication” during the pandemic, saying they “stepped up when it mattered most”.
According to latest data, the chain is attracting more new shoppers than any other supermarket, with a UK market share of 8.1 per cent.
New sites in Leicestershire would each be about 1.5 acres to accommodate a 20,000 sq ft store with about 120 parking spaces if Aldi gets the go-ahead.
Elsewhere, in Greenwich, London, Aldi is trialling a checkout-free concept store, using cameras, sensors and artificial intelligence to identify the items customers take from shelves.
Speaking about the success of 2020, Mr Hurley added: “As well as delivering record sales, we continued to invest for growth, deploying over £600 million in stores and distribution centres across the UK.
“This helped to create thousands of much-needed jobs and support for British farmers and manufacturers.”
Aldi, which sources its fresh meat, eggs, milk, butter and cream from British suppliers, said it had spent a further £1billion with UK companies last year, taking its total to £9 billion.
Mr Hurley said: ““We’re continuing to gain even more customers with over 60 per cent of households shopping with Aldi in the last year.”