Aldi has announced plans to invest €73 million in the opening of 11 new stores in Dublin over the following five years.
The supermarket chain claimed that over the course of five years, 350 full-time permanent jobs and 550 construction jobs will be generated by the new stores.
Aldi stated that it is looking at 25 sites for the 11 new stores’ potential locations. While developing plans for the additional 10 stores over the following five years, it has reached an agreement on terms for a store in Adamstown.
The group has 24 stores in Dublin and has invested €167 million in capital there over the last 20 years.
With 24 stores throughout the county, Aldi currently employs over 670 people in Dublin, spending a total of €20.3 million on salaries.
Working with 90 local producers, Aldi said it spent €184m with these Dublin based suppliers in 2021.
The announcement of the expansion comes as Aldi reported that its turnover in Ireland increased by 1% to over €2 billion in the year ending on December 31, 2021, an increase of €23 million over the previous year.
Additionally, the group’s total customer base increased by an additional 4% in 2021, and according to recent data from Kantar, sales are growing at a 3.5% rate, with a market share of 12.7%.
Overall, Aldi employs over 4,650 people across 154 stores in Ireland and supports over 330 Irish suppliers.
Niall O’Connor, Group Managing Director at ALDI Ireland, said that despite the continuing impact of Covid-19 on the business last year, it continued to grow and invest as part of its ongoing commitment to deliver sustained value.
“We made substantial investments to keep prices low for customers, increasing our store network and creating employment,” Mr O’Connor said.
“We plan to continue on this trajectory by prioritising our 2023 ambition to expand in Dublin. We will continue to invest in the interest of our customers and keeping prices low despite the current challenges,” he added.
Mr. O’Connor also said the group is acutely aware of the impact of this current inflationary period on its customers, its people, its suppliers, and on the communities where it operates.
“This is why it is important that the necessary conditions are in place to facilitate and support our expansion,” he said.
“New stores in 2022 means we create employment where it matters, we create opportunities for local businesses and suppliers to supply a large retailer and we offer choice in retail for customers at a time when competition and low prices matter most,” he added.