New Aldi Stores Target Discounter Gaps To Extend Reach Of Affordable Food Across UK

The UK’s fourth-largest supermarket Aldi is addressing gaps in the discount retail market to bring quality, affordable food to shoppers who lack access to a discount supermarket as it works towards its long-term goal of opening 1,500 stores nationwide. 

Image: Aldi UK

Britain’s cheapest supermarket for the fifth year running, according to Which?, and now the country’s favourite supermarket, as voted by Good Housekeeping readers, is investing £370 million in 40 new stories this year, with another 40 slated for 2027. 

The store expansion, which forms part of Aldi’s £1.6 billion two-year investment programme announced last year, aims to address recently released figures showing that families in over 200 UK towns are paying up to £2,437 more per year on their grocery shopping because they lack access to an Aldi supermarket. 

The retailer has mapped 220 locations across the UK where shoppers are facing a growing ‘postcode penalty’, with locations spanning the country, including 35 towns in the South East, 30 in the East of England, and 25 in Scotland.

“Our unwavering commitment is to make high-quality, affordable groceries accessible to everybody,” said Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer at Aldi UK and Ireland on announcing new stores in Warwickshire, East Sussex, and Buckinghamshire this year. 

“But we recognise that there are still areas without an Aldi store, so our expansion plans for 2026 are designed to address some of these gaps as we work towards our long-term goal of 1,500 UK stores,” Hurley pointed out. 

“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.”

The research from Aldi shows that households without access to an Aldi store pay £826 more on average, rising to £2,437 in areas dominated by the highest-priced supermarkets. 

To support its expanding UK supermarket network, Aldi is also offering 500 new apprenticeship roles this year across stores and warehouses, forming part of the retailer’s commitment to improve staff pay and benefits. 

“This is a genuine opportunity to learn on the job, build valuable skills and earn market-leading pay – all while working for one of the UK’s biggest grocery retailers,” said Lisa Murphy, training and development director at Aldi UK.