Aldi has announced plans to open 40 new stores across the UK in 2026 as part of a £370 million investment program aimed at expanding access to low-cost groceries.
The German-owned supermarket said new sites will include Southam in Warwickshire, Hastings in East Sussex and Amersham in Buckinghamshire as it targets communities where it does not currently have a presence.
Aldi UK and Ireland managing director Giles Hurley said the retailer had identified significant gaps in its store network.
“We recognize that there are still areas without Aldi stores across the UK,” he said. “Our expansion plans aim to close these gaps and make Aldi’s high-quality, affordable groceries available to more customers.”
Aldi currently operates around 1,060 stores in the UK, but has set a longer-term goal of increasing this number to 1,500. Hurley said the expansion reflects the company’s belief that affordable food should be accessible to everyone.
“We have always believed that access to high quality, affordable food is a right, not a privilege, and that is why our mission is to make this a reality for customers across the UK,” he added.
The announcement follows a busy year of openings in 2025, which saw new Aldi stores open in locations including Eastbourne in East Sussex, Fulham Broadway in London and Deeside in Wales.
The £370m investment for 2026 is part of Aldi’s wider £1.6bn two-year expansion program, unveiled last September, with plans to open a total of 80 new stores in the UK over the period.
The continued rollout underlines Aldi’s confidence in the UK grocery market, as value-focused retailers benefit from continued pressure on household budgets and changing consumer spending habits.
