Aldi has announced that it plans to invest a record £900m into new stores and distribution centres in the UK in a bid to tackle food affordability.

The supermarket brand, which was ranked as the UK’s cheapest supermarket for the past five years, said that its plans aim to reach communities “cut off” from affordable groceries.

Aldi, which currently owns 1,092 UK stores, said it will open 40 new locations in 2027, alongside continued works on its distribution network.

It comes as the firm is set to open 30 stores over the next 10 weeks in locations such as Dumbarton, Newport and Willesden, London.

Aldi had previously planned to scale to 1,500 UK stores, with a focus on communities cut off from affordable groceries due to lack of local choice or competition.

Other measures include a commitment to continue cutting prices across its range in the build-up to Christmas. In the current year, Aldi has invested £340m in reducing prices on over 1,000 products such as orange juice, butter, fresh meat and frozen fish.

The announcement comes as the supermarket chain announced that its annual sales reached a record £19bn in the year to 31 December, while its operating profit remained flat at £432.9m, as it invested in prices, infrastructure and colleague pay.

CEO at Aldi UK and Ireland, Giles Hurley, 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."

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