Aldi has announced plans to open 40 new stores across the UK in 2026 as part of a £370 million investment programme aimed at expanding access to low-cost groceries.
The German-owned supermarket said new locations will include Southam in Warwickshire, Hastings in East Sussex and Amersham in Buckinghamshire, as it targets communities where it currently has no presence.
Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said the retailer had identified clear gaps in its store network.
“We recognise there are still areas across the UK without an Aldi store,” he said. “Our expansion plans are designed to address these gaps and bring Aldi’s high-quality, affordable food to more customers.”
Aldi currently operates around 1,060 stores in the UK, but has set a longer-term ambition to grow that number to 1,500. Hurley said the expansion reflects the company’s belief that affordable food should be accessible to everyone.
“We’ve always believed that access to high-quality affordable food is a right, not a privilege, and that’s why it’s our mission to make this a reality for customers up and down the UK,” he added.
The announcement follows a busy year of openings in 2025, with new Aldi stores launched in locations including Eastbourne in East Sussex, Fulham Broadway in London and Deeside in Wales.
The £370m investment for 2026 forms part of Aldi’s wider £1.6 billion two-year expansion programme, unveiled last September, which includes plans to open a total of 80 new UK stores over that period.
The continued rollout underlines Aldi’s confidence in the UK grocery market, as value-focused retailers benefit from sustained pressure on household budgets and shifting consumer spending habits.