Discount supermarket chain Aldi looking to open two new stores in Derbyshire Dales

The company is targeting 14 new locations in Derbyshire altogether, including Matlock and Wirksworth.

While no specific sites have been publicly identified, the chain says it is scouting for freehold town-centre or edge-of-centre sites suitable for development. Online speculation has suggested a site on Dale Road, Matlock is the main contender.

Aldi says each site should be around 1.5 acres and able to accommodate a 20,000 sq ft store with around 100 parking spaces, ideally on a prominent main road and with good visibility and access.

Ciaran Aldridge, national property director at Aldi UK, said: “We have been investing in Britain for more than 30 years now, but we know that there are still areas that either do not have an Aldi at all, or that need another store to meet customer demand.

“Shoppers are increasingly looking to get unbeatable prices on their weekly shop without compromising on quality. That’s why, more so than ever, we’re keen to explore all opportunities to open new stores across the country.”

The UK’s fifth largest supermarket has been on an expansion drive in recent years, opening around one new store a week on average to meet demand from new customers. It now boasts more than 900 stores and more than 36,000 employees nationwide.

Its aggressive strategy has taken on the longtime market leaders by driving down operating costs to keep customer prices low, while offering exclusive brands which compete with established names on quality.

Research released by Which? in December showed doing a full shop at Aldi was 19.9 per cent cheaper than the same shop at Tesco and 16.7 per cent cheaper than the same shop at the ‘big four’ – Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons. The study tracked the price of 22 essential items at the UK’s eight biggest supermarkets throughout November 2020.

The other locations earmarked for new Derbyshire stores are west Chesterfield, south Chesterfield, Brimington, Allestree, Alvaston, Castle Gresley, Ilkeston, Normanton, Pleasley, Ripley, South Normanton and Stenson Fields.

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