Sales at Aldi have exceeded £10 billion across the UK and Ireland for the first time.
The German chain has reported a rise in sales by 29 percent to £265 million in 2017, which was pushed by the opening of many new stores.
Aldi is the fifth biggest supermarket in the UK, as it overtook the Co-op last year. The chain has 775 stores in the UK and Ireland and plans to open 130 new stores in the UK over the next two years.
Giles Hurley, the chief executive, said: “The revolution in British grocery shows no sign of slowing.”
“In 2020, Aldi will have been serving British shoppers for 30 years. In that time, we’ve become part of the fabric of British life. We’re proud to be reaffirming our commitment today.”
“Our fundamental purpose remains – to bring outstanding quality groceries at the lowest prices for our customers, creating jobs and supporting British farming and manufacturing.”
“While other grocers introduced more complexity into their businesses in their struggle to win back customers, we stuck to our guns and focused on doing what Aldi does best – buying smart, staying lean, improving quality and keeping prices low,” Hurley added.
Aldi hopes to create 5,000 jobs in the UK over the next two years.
In response to Aldi and Lidl’s growing popularity, Tesco (LON: TSCO) has opened its new discount supermarket, Jack’s. The first store opened last week.
Tesco, Sainsbury’s (LON: SBRY), Asda and Morrisons (LON: MRW) have had to approach Aldi and Lidl’s success by cutting costs and improving their cheapest own-label ranges.
Tesco’s chief executive, Dave Lewis, said of the new chain: “We will be the cheapest in town. There are full-range, full-service supermarkets, and clearly people want that, but there is a gap in terms of people wanting smaller, simpler, quicker shops and local produce.”
