Aldi is planning to build a new £75 million distribution centre in southeastern England, creating 400 jobs if approved.
Located in Bedford, the proposed 88,000m2 site would serve the supermarket’s growing network of stores across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.
Aldi announced record sales of £8.7 billion in 2016 and it has now increased its market share to become the fifth biggest supermarket in the UK.
Last year, the business invested over £450 million in opening new stores and improving its distribution centres in the UK and Ireland, bringing total investment over the past five years to £2 billion. New distribution centres in Sheppey (Kent) and Sawley (Derbyshire) are also currently under development.
Aldi UK and Ireland CEO Matthew Barnes said: “More than half of all UK households now regularly shop with us and many more prospective customers tell us they would switch supermarkets if there was an Aldi nearby. This gives us the confidence to continue investing in our operations and infrastructure.
“Our plans are more significant when viewed against the changes taking place in the UK grocery market. At a time when many of our competitors are scaling back, we continue to scale up our operations across the country.”
Aldi has submitted a planning application following discussions with Bedford Borough Council and developers Gallagher Estates.
Alongside expansion in the UK, the retailer will invest $3.4 billion in continuing to grow its American operations, as it aims to reach 2,500 US stores by the end of 2022.
The supermarket already has plans for 2,000 US stores by 2018 – up from 1,600 in 2014.
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