Aldi CEO Giles Hurley reassures customers discounter will have plenty of Christmas supplies

Aldi CEO Giles Hurley has written to customers reassuring them over supplies and Covid safety in the week leading to Christmas.

Aldi’s Christmas range will be the “biggest and best we have ever had”, with “all you need to enjoy the celebrations you deserve this year,” Hurley has told shoppers.

It comes in a week of warnings strike action could lead to shortages at some other supermarkets, potentially affecting fresh products such as turkey. Tesco is facing looming strike action at more than half its distribution centres in a pay dispute. Asda is also facing the threat of strike action in a similar dispute. Both supermarkets have said they do not expect supplies to be disrupted.

Hurley’s email tells customers Aldi’s fresh turkey range will be in stores from 19 December, with prices lowered on Christmas veg.

“Lots of colleagues will be on hand in the run-up to Christmas to help you find all the items you need, and we’ve even brought on board 1,500 new colleagues for the festive period,” he adds.

Stores will be open for longer hours than usual, from 7am until 10pm on 20-23 December, and closed on Boxing Day as well as Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, according to Hurley. 

Hurley has also reminded customers to wear face masks under latest government guidelines unless exempt, and reassured them over in-store safety measures such as screens at checkouts and hand sanitising stations.

Speaking to The Grocer in September, Hurley said Aldi’s limited range of around 2,000 products and its predominantly British supply base were helping it maintain good availability despite supply chain challenges affecting the industry. “We simply have fewer products to supervise, to control, to manage, and I think that gives us that unique competitive advantage,” he said at the time.