Aldi has set out plans to almost double its 60-strong supermarket estate within the M25, targeting empty office blocks and new housing locations in a multi-million-pound expansion drive.
The discount grocer is also targeting freehold town-centre or edge-of-centre sites suitable for property development as part of its strategy to expand its London footprint.
To help identify sites, agents are being offered a finder’s fee of either 1.5% of a freehold price or 10% of the first year’s rent for leasehold sites for recommending a previously unknown site.
Locations will be big enough for its standard 20,000 sq ft stores, which need around 100 dedicated parking spaces, preferably on a prominent main road and with good visibility and access.
In addition, the supermarket says it is also on the lookout for sites to accommodate its smaller Aldi Local store format, which measure around 5,000 sq ft.
The expansion would create around 2,400 jobs. The retailer has more than 990 stores across the UK and will open its 1,000th store later this year.
Ben Shotter, regional managing director at Aldi, said: “We strongly believe that access to affordable, high-quality food is a right, not a privilege. But we are conscious there are still many areas, particularly in the capital and within the M25, that don’t have access to an Aldi. As a result, too many people have to make do with big prices at the big supermarkets.”
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