Aldi opening five new stores in 24 hours

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Aldi store 2026

Source: Aldi

Aldi aims to eventually have 1,500 UK stores

Aldi is rushing to open five stores in 24 hours as Christmas approaches.

The discounter is set to open new supermarkets in London’s Old Kent Road and Uxbridge as well as in Northallerton and Pershore, all on Thursday 11 December.

The fifth in the space of 24 hours will open in Bristol on Friday 12 December, according to Aldi.

Aldi started 2025 with about 1,040 UK stores and expects to end it with 1,081. A £1.6bn investment in expansion over two years is expected to include the opening of another stores 40 next year.

The five new stores opening this week will create about 200 jobs. Aldi said it demonstrated the strength of its ambition to eventually grow the UK store estate to 1,500.

“Opening any new store is exciting, but opening five in 24 hours, just before Christmas, will make a huge difference for customers in each of these areas,” said Aldi UK real estate MD Jon Neale. “It reflects the demand we’re seeing right across the UK and the scale of our ambition as we continue to grow.

“We’re committed to growing in the right places, with the right teams, bringing our low prices and high-quality products to even more communities – and we’re committed to moving as fast as we can to deliver that.”

Speaking to The Grocer ealier this week, Aldi UK & Ireland CEO Giles Hurley forecast “record sales” for the discounter at Christmas but stopped short of predicting like-for-like growth.

“I’m expecting our biggest-ever Christmas and I’m expecting record sales,” he said. “As you know, we’re continuing to open stores. I don’t normally comment on like-for-likes. We generally look at the business as a whole.”

Hurley acknowledged in September that Aldi’s same-store sales were down in 2024, blaming the decline on investment in prices and expansion. Its total sales were up 1.1% to £1.81bn, an uptick more than accounted for by the roughly 30 new stores it opened in the period.

Aldi is also promising to offer the best-value Christmas dinner for the family this year. Having matched Lidl last week with a festive feast for eight for £11.85, Aldi yesterday dropped its gravy granules by 10p, bringing the total price of the meal down to £11.75.

Both discounters are offering a 3.05kg whole fresh turkey for £9 (£3.05 per kg), own-label Yorkshire puddings (15-pack, 46p) and stuffing mix (90p, two packs), along with four varieties of veg – potatoes (2kg), sprouts (500g), carrots (1kg) and parsnips (500g) – for 8p each.

However, Aldi’s price drop brings its own-label gravy granules (300g) down to 99p, while Lidl’s price is £1.09. It makes Aldi’s festive feast £1.47 per person, a penny a head cheaper than Lidl’s.

“I do think this year household bills are a challenge and customers are looking at their spend,” Hurley said.

“That’s why it’s so important that I guarantee Aldi will have the lowest prices in the market for your festive meal.”

Aldi also pays store workers a higher entry-level hourly national rate than any other major UK supermarket, at £13.02. In London it is the joint-highest paying with Lidl, both offering £14.35 an hour.

The Aldi stores opening on Thursday 11 December are: