Aldi adds Anglesey town to its target list for new stores after campaign by locals

Aldi has added an Anglesey town to its target list for Wales after a local campaign. Nearly a thousand people signed a petition asking for Aldi to come to Amlwch after a campaign by MP Virginia Crosbie, local resident Mandy Jones and councillor Aled Morris Jones.

People living in the town on the north east coast of Anglesey say they are fed up having to take a 26 mile round trip to get to supermarkets in Llangefni. The other option is using Spar or Co-op stores in the town but these have less choice and many items are more expensive than discounters like Aldi and Lidl.

Last week the island MP met with the German discount retailer to discuss if it would consider the town. The company has responded by putting out a notice on its website that it wants a location in Amlwch. Read more: Wales tourism tax: What we know so far about visitor levy, from when it's coming in to who will pay

The other target towns in North Wales are Caernarfon, Dolgellau, and Queensferry. Aldi says it has an ambitious real estate investment and development programme across North Wales

“I am really pleased I have managed to persuade Aldi to consider Amlwch and I thank Mandy and Aled and everyone who signed the petition to get us to this point,” said Conservative MP Virginia Crosbie.

“Aldi said we needed to show widespread support and, in the meeting, it was quite shocked so many residents came forward. It was a bit of people power here making a difference. The challenge now is to put forward some locations for the supermarket to consider.

“This part of the island is not well served by supermarkets and a discount retailer would be a good thing and add to some much-needed choice and competition.”

The MP kicked off the campaign last month at the Blueberries Café in the town and 60 residents came along.

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