Aldi ramps up investment
More stores, lower prices and billions spent with British suppliers - Aldi is ramping up its investment in Britain as it looks to make the weekly shop more affordable.
Aldi has announced a record £900 million investment in the UK for 2027, including 40 new stores and further investment in its distribution network.
The supermarket says the expansion will particularly target communities where shoppers currently have limited access to affordable groceries and competition between supermarkets.
And the investment comes as Aldi reports record sales, with turnover across its UK and Ireland business reaching £19 billion in 2025, up 5% on the previous year.
40 new stores - with 30 coming even sooner
Aldi currently operates 1,092 stores and has ambitions to eventually reach 1,500 across the UK.
Its £900m investment next year will fund 40 new stores, alongside improvements to the distribution network needed to support its growing estate.
Before then, another 30 stores are due to open over the next 10 weeks, including new locations in Dumbarton, Newport and Willesden in London.
Aldi says it wants to focus its expansion on communities that are effectively "cut off" from affordable groceries because of a lack of local choice or competition.
£340m spent cutting prices
The expansion isn't the only big number.
Aldi says it has invested £340 million in price reductions so far in 2026, cutting the cost of more than 1,000 products including butter, orange juice, fresh meat and frozen fish.
The supermarket has also committed to further price cuts in the run-up to Christmas.
With food prices continuing to put pressure on household budgets, that's potentially welcome news for millions of families.
£14 billion spent with British suppliers 🇬🇧
There is another part of Aldi's announcement that caught our attention at Big Up Britain - its commitment to British farmers, producers and manufacturers.
Aldi says it spent an enormous £14 billion with British suppliers during 2025, with around 80% of its sales coming from British suppliers.
Even more impressively, 100% of its everyday fresh beef, pork and poultry comes from British farms.
The supermarket now wants at least 50% of its products to be sourced through long-term supplier agreements by 2027.
These multi-year deals can give British producers greater certainty, allowing businesses to invest in equipment, staff and increased production without having to worry quite so much about what happens when the next contract comes around.
Increasing domestic food production could also help make Britain's food supply more resilient and reduce reliance on imports.
More customers - but profits remain broadly flat
Aldi's latest results show just how quickly the supermarket has grown.
Turnover increased by 5% to a record £19bn in the 12 months to 31 December 2025, while its share of the UK grocery market is estimated at 10.6%.
Operating profit, however, remained broadly unchanged at £432.9 million, compared with £435.5 million the previous year.
Aldi says this reflects continued investment in lower prices, infrastructure and employee pay.
Store Assistant wages have been increased twice this year, with Aldi saying colleagues now receive a minimum of £13.50 an hour nationally and £14.88 within the M25.
"Food security must be a long-term national priority"
Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer for Aldi UK and Ireland, said:
“The cost of food remains one of the biggest pressures on households across the country. Recent droughts at home and events overseas have highlighted just how fragile our food system is and why food security must be a long-term national priority.
“We’re working hard to make good food more affordable for every family – cutting prices on everyday essentials, signing long-term supplier agreements to help increase home-grown production, and continuing to bring affordable groceries to even more communities through our store opening programme.
“This is why more customers are buying more products at Aldi – our relentless focus on simple, everyday low prices and award-winning quality.”
Why this is good news for Britain
There's quite a lot to like here.
A £900m investment, 40 new stores, billions of pounds being spent with British suppliers and longer-term contracts for farmers and manufacturers all mean money being invested back into Britain's food and retail infrastructure.
Add Aldi's continued price cuts into the mix and the investment has the potential to benefit both ends of the food chain - British producers looking for greater certainty and families trying to keep the weekly shopping bill under control.
More home-grown food, more investment, more competition and more communities getting access to affordable groceries?
