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Aldi announced plans to invest £900 million in the UK for new stores and infrastructure, including opening over 40 additional stores this year alone. Despite a slight dip in profits due to price cuts amid inflation, Aldi’s sales increased by 5% to reach a record of £19 billion last year. The company aims to become the third largest supermarket chain in the UK based on items sold and customer numbers, with long-term goals of expanding its presence to 1,500 stores across the UK and Ireland.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-28,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Discount supermarket Aldi has pledged to invest £900 million in opening another 40 stores across the UK and Ireland in 2027, despite facing lower earnings. In 2025, Aldi's operating profits decreased by 1% to £432.9 million compared to the previous year's £435.5 million, while sales rose by 5%, reaching a record turnover of £19 billion. The company attributed this drop in earnings to investments in price reductions and rising wages, as it aims to expand its presence to reach 1,500 shops across both countries. Additionally, Aldi plans to continue cutting prices ahead of Christmas following a £340 million price cut campaign earlier in the year.
Written for “Aldi Store Expansion” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Aldi says it is stepping up investment in the UK with plans to spend £900m and open more than 40 stores.
asserted
it → say → stores
The company, which operates 1,092 budget supermarkets in the UK and Ireland, revealed sales rose 5% to a record £19bn last year.
asserted
sales → operate → record
It opened 40 stores but profits slipped by £2.6m to £433m as it cut prices despite cost inflation.
asserted
it → open → inflation
Giles Hurley, the boss of Aldi’s UK and Irish arm, said the German-owned business had “increasing confidence around growing our business”, claiming it already was the third largest UK supermarket in terms of items sold and customer numbers.
asserted
it → say → items
Asda is classed as the UK’s third largest supermarket by value of sales, just ahead of Aldi.
asserted
Asda → class → Aldi
Leeds-based Asda is less than one percentage point ahead of its rival, with a market share of 10.6% in mainland UK, according to the latest data from Worldpanel.
uncertain
Asda → base → Worldpanel
Aldi will open 42 stores this year, with 30 opening in the next 10 weeks.
asserted
30 → open → weeks
It plans a similar number next year, stepping up investment by about £100m to £900m.
asserted
It → plan → 900
In the longer term it is aiming for 1,500 outlets in the UK and Ireland.
asserted
it → aim → UK
“We could probably grow faster but we need to find the right sites in the right locations and have to go through a planning process which can, at times, be challenging,” Hurley said.
uncertain
Hurley → grow → times
He said consumers were “feeling the pinch” against a backdrop of persistent inflation, and the “continuity and clarity” of Aldi’s range of cheap groceries had attracted 425,300 more customers.
asserted
continuity → say → customers
He said the outlook for grocery inflation, which stood at 2.8% in August, according to the British Retail Consortium, was difficult to assess until the impact of drought and extreme heat on UK crop yields was clear.
uncertain
impact → say → yields
He said the industry was “not seeing systemic food shortages” but the climate crisis was creating “a real challenge” for food producers.
asserted
crisis → say → producers
He urged the government to treat the UK’s food system as “a national strategic priority” because “relying on imports leaves us exposed”.
asserted
relying → urge → us
Hurley claimed Aldi was the only grocery chain reducing prices.
asserted
Aldi → claim → prices
He said the loyalty discount schemes offered by many rival chains, including Tesco and Sainsbury’s, were “definitely a roll of the dice for customers and questions remain about how much of the value [they offer] is perceived rather than real”.
asserted
they → say → value
He said Aldi was winning over customers because it remained the cheapest place to shop in the market and it would continue to invest to maintain that position by cutting prices.
asserted
it → say → prices
However, Aldi does not reveal sales performance in established stores – those open for more than a year – making it difficult to gauge how much growth is just the result of expansion.
asserted
growth → reveal → expansion
Aldi’s growth is much slower than than that of its rival Lidl, which is gaining market share with a loyalty scheme while allowing shoppers to order online and pick up in a store.
asserted
shoppers → gain → store
Aldi has signed a deal withDeliveroo under which the courier firm’s workers will pick, pack and deliver Aldi groceries sold through its app.
asserted
workers → sign → app
The supermarket chain said it had committed to sourcing at least half its products through long-term supplier agreements by next year, giving its producers and manufacturers greater confidence to invest and make Britain’s food system less reliant on imports.
asserted
system → say → imports
Aldi said it spent £14bn with British suppliers in 2025 and about 80% of its sales came from them.
asserted
% → say → them
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