Discount supermarket Aldi has said it expects to create 4,000 new jobs in 2021 as part of a £1.3bn two-year investment plan.
The German-owned chain, now the UK’s fifth biggest by market share, said the investment would include new and upgraded stores and distribution centres as well as a recently-announced “click and collect” service.
Under the plan, a total of 8,000 jobs will have been created over this year and next.
Aldi’s expansion is set to add 100 new stores in the UK over 2020 and 2021, taking it closer to its long-term target of 1,200 by 2025.
Its announcement came as it reported an 8.3% rise in sales to £12.3bn to 2019, which it said compared to a more sluggish 1% for the grocery market overall.
Aldi said pre-tax profits – which had dipped the year before – rose 49% to £271.5m as it benefited from “efficiencies of scale” while continuing to invest in keeping prices low.