Aldi Stores, the UK and Ireland supermarket arm of the German retail group, has filed an operating profit of £18.7m (€21.8m) for 2010 – up from a £21.2m loss in 2009 – on the strength of an annual sales rise of 4.6 per cent to £2.14bn.
The budget retailer's after-tax result was a loss of £56.1m, which it blames entirely on a £57m bill relating to the disposal of a number of outlets.
Group MDs Matthew Barnes and Roman Heini said in a statement: 'In 2011 we are beginning to see the benefit of the investment in our products and stores, with both increased turnover and profitability.'
The latest figures from market analyst Kantar show Aldi's share of the UK supermarket sector climbed to 3.6 per cent in the 12 weeks to 4 September, making it the fastest-growing company in the industry.
