The Scottish town set for a new Aldi as seaside spot branded 'priority location'
Aldi is expanding its UK portfolio by announcing a list of 20 potential locations for new stores. Included among them was one much-loved Scottish seaside town.
The budget German supermarket has revealed that Largs in North Ayrshire is one of its "priority locations", as it seeks sites for new stores in a multi-million pound investment to bring its budget prices to more people.
According to Aldi, the potential location for a new site should be able to accommodate a 20,000 sqft store with around 100 parking spaces, with access to a main road that offers good access and visibility being desirable.
As the UK's fourth largest supermarket, the discounted retailer currently operates more than 1,050 stores across the UK, with 109 based in Scotland alone.
However, the firm has set its sights on expanding even further, as it has invested £650million this year alone into opening new stores, with a long-term goal of 1,500 overall.
And Largs, known for its Viking history as well as top class ice cream and fish and chips, appears earmarked for one of the new sites, providing a suitable spot can be found in the town.
Jonathan Neale, Managing Director of National Real Estate at Aldi UK, said: "We want to make high-quality, affordable food accessible to everyone, and that means opening new stores in the communities that need them most.
"The response from the public has been invaluable in helping us identify where demand is greatest, and where we need to focus our efforts on finding the sites that can become new stores."
It comes after it was announced that four Scottish Aldi stores were set for a "refresh" over the summer months, with the move affecting Inverness, Ayr, Cowdenbeath, and Cupar.
The plan would see each store undergo a set of refurbishments and enhancements that would "enhance the customer experience."
Alongside refurbishing the Scottish based stores, the discounted supermarket also announced that it would be expanding even further with 10 new stores this summer across West Yorkshire, the Midlands and London.
It also comes after we reported that Aldi has resubmitted plans to Perth and Kinross Council for a £4.8 million new store on Necessity Brae replacing the existing one on Glasgow Road.
While the plans were initially approved unanimously by councillors in May 2022 and February 2023, they were quickly quashed by Tesco and the Court of Session in April 26, 2024.
It marks the third time the firm has resubmitted plans, and it came after it had been "inundated" with support from over 800 Perth residents who signed a petition to get the new Aldi.
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The full list of locations Aldi is actively seeking sites for new stores
Largs, North Ayrshire
Braintree, Essex
Bromley, Greater London
Chesham, Buckinghamshire
Balby, Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Ealing, Greater London
Ferndown, Dorset
Hitchin, Hertfordshire
Kenilworth, Warwickshire
Kirkby, Merseyside
Pickering, North Yorkshire
Ponteland, Northumberland
South Croydon, Greater London
South Shields, Tyne and Wear
Tadcaster, North Yorkshire
Uckfield, East Sussex
Warwick, Warwickshire
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire
Witney, Oxfordshire
Worthing, West Sussex
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