Aldi picks out South Shields as prime location for new stores as expansion drive continues

Supermarket chain Aldi is on the hunt for new store locations in the North East and has prioritised South Tyneside as a prime spot.

As part of its rapid expansion drive, the supermarket asked shoppers to get in touch and highlight where in Britain needed new Aldi stores the most. After receiving more than 4,000 requests, the chain has now reviewed the list of locations and used it to develop its store search over the coming years. The priority area in Tyne and Wear where Aldi is currently looking is South Shields.

Aldi has been on a rapid expansion drive in recent years and has seen its popularity soar as shoppers switch to the supermarket.

• Read more: Aldi makes vital change at stores in the North East that could be rolled out across UK

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The retailer currently has more than 1,020 stores and is continuing towards its long-term target of more than 1,500 stores across the UK. Jonathan Neale, managing director of National Real Estate at Aldi UK, said: “We want to make high quality food accessible to all, but we can’t do that while there are still some towns and areas that either don’t have an Aldi or have capacity for additional stores.

“We recognise there is huge demand in certain regions for more stores, which is why we decided to get the public’s input on our latest list of priority locations. They have helped us identify where demand is greatest and we will continue to work to bring Aldi to as many people as possible."

Anybody who has a site that may fit Aldi’s requirements should go here. Each site should be able to accommodate a 20,000 sq ft store with around 100 parking spaces. Ideally the location will be near a main road with good visibility and access.