Aldi to create 500 West Midlands jobs with expansion
Supermarket chain Aldi is to invest more than £19 million in new and upgraded stores across the West Midlands this year, creating more than 500 jobs.
It expects to open four new stores in Tamworth, Birmingham, Biddulph and Coventry.
Aldi will also refurbish four existing sites including its Goldthorn Hill and Howard Street stores in Wolverhampton, Burton upon Trent and Worcester before the end of the year.
The chain opened new stores in Whitchurch, Shropshire and Erdington and Kings Norton, Birmingham, during 2020.
It has also announced plans to increase the amount of food and drink it buys from British suppliers by £3.5 billionn a year by 2025, as it continues its rapid expansion across the UK.
The latest investment is part of the supermarket’s long-term target to reach 1,200 stores in the UK by 2025. On average, Aldi is set to open more than one store a week this year.
Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “We have been investing in Britain for more than 30 years now, but we know that there are still areas that either don’t have an Aldi at all, or that need another store to meet customer demand.
“With shoppers increasingly looking to make sure they get unbeatable prices on their weekly shop without compromising on quality, our stores are becoming ever more popular.
“This investment in Aldi stores over the course of this year will help make the UK’s lowest-priced supermarket more accessible to even more people, and bring us closer to our long-term goal of having 1,200 stores across the UK by 2025.”
Last summer, Aldi announced it was looking for 18 new store locations in West Midlands – including in Dudley and Wolverhampton – as part of its longer-term expansion plans.
Aldi has recently increased its minimum hourly rates, paying a minimum hourly rate of £9.55 nationally, up from £9.40. Those working within the M25 will earn £11.07 an hour instead of £10.90. Store colleagues will now be able to earn up to £10.57 after three years nationally and £11.32 after two years in London.
The new rates of pay are also boosted by the fact Aldi is still one of the only UK supermarkets to pay for breaks taken during shifts, which means Aldi colleagues remain the best-paid in the sector.
Aldi is investing £500m in total in new and upgraded stores, distribution centres and its supply chain in 2021, which will create more than 4,000 jobs as well as new opportunities for British food and drink producers.
