Aldi, the UK's fourth-biggest supermarket, is set to invest £900m next year in opening new stores and revamping its warehouse network. The company announced on Monday that this investment will include building 40 new stores as part of its plan to expand its current 1,092 UK stores to as many as 1,500.
The investment follows a record turnover of £19bn in 2025, a five per cent increase attributed by the grocer to a £340m investment in cutting prices on products such as butter, meat, and frozen fish. Aldi's operating profit remained broadly flat at £433m, a slight decrease from £435.5m the previous year.
Aldi chief executive Giles Hurley stated that rising shipping costs due to the Iran war, along with recent droughts and fears of a "super" El-Nino weather pattern, are causing more shoppers to be concerned about food costs. Food inflation held steady at 1.3 per cent in August, but industry forecasts suggest it could surge to 6.4 per cent by July next year.
The supermarket has increased the hourly wage for its shop-floor workers twice this year, to £13.50 in the UK and £14.88 in London. According to consumer organisation Which?, Aldi has been the cheapest supermarket in the UK for the past five years.