German discount retailer Aldi has announced plans to increase its store portfolio in Ireland by opening 35 new outlets over the next three years, taking its total in the country to 160.
The group will invest a total of €350m on the expansion, with 500 new jobs created plus an additional 160 jobs from the introduction of a new distribution centre, to be built in Michelstown, County Cork.
Aldi currently has 60 stores open in Ireland, commanding a 4.5 per cent share in the country's €8bn grocery market.
Paul Foley, managing director at Aldi UK and Ireland, told the Irish Independent that the chain had seen a year-on-year increase in October sales of 23 per cent this year for its Irish operation.
