The rise of Aldi in the Black Country and Staffordshire
It's been a bumper week for Aldi in the West Midlands.
The supermarket has announced that it's creating 350 new jobs in the region, work has started on a new branch in Dudley, while plans for a shop in Great Barr have been revealed.
While only six months ago the supermarket chain created 140 new jobs in the region.
This success is part of the low-cost supermarket's march through the region. In the past two years, five new branches have been built or are in the process of being built, while plans for a further three have been submitted.
In the Black Country and Staffordshire there are a whopping 20 Aldi branches, not including those planned or in the process of being built.
But is this too much? Is Aldi taking over the region? What does the rise of the discount chain mean for local and independent retailers?
