Aldi is lagging behind on an estate expansion target, its latest store numbers have revealed.
The discounter is set to have 962 stores by the end of the year, including 15 set to open. Entering the new year it means it will be behind on a historic target of 1,000 UK stores by 2022.
It will also leave Aldi needing to open about 80 stores a year to reach a longer-term target of 1,200 by 2025. When CEO Giles Hurley set that target in October 2018, the discounter had about 775 UK stores, meaning it then needed to open fewer than 70 a year.
The discounter has faced disruption to its opening plans thanks to construction delays in the pandemic.
Retailers are also said to have faced delays in securing planning permission, with council staff working from home, while competition from Lidl for suitable sites may be heaping further pressure on Aldi’s plans.
Lidl has a target of 1,000 UK stores by the end of 2023, up from a current 880.
Analysis for The Grocer in June suggested both discounters would miss their targets by 12-24 months as they competed to find sites matching their existing estate profile, which showed a preference for being at least 1km apart from each other.
Aldi said it was on course to open its 1000th UK store during 2022, and remained on track to hit its 2025 target.
A spokeswoman said: “As part of our two-year £1.3bn investment plans, we expect to open 100 new stores during 2022 and 2023 as we work towards our 1,200 store target.”
Lidl also maintains it is on track to hit its target.
Locations set to gain an Aldi by the end of the year include Edinburgh, Orpington and Poole, with each new store set to create an average of more than 30 jobs.
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