Aldi US

Aldi has started opening stores in more affluent parts of the UK

Aldi saw its UK pre-tax profits surge by more than 100 per cent in 2012, coinciding with a period in which it attracted more than a million extra shoppers through its doors.

The discount chain’s latest annual accounts posted at Companies House show that its revenues were up 41 per cent to £3.9 billion last year, along with the pre-tax profit rise of 124 per cent to £157.9 million.

Recent data from Kantar Worldwide showed that Aldi currently has a 3.7 per cent share of the UK supermarket sector, but the firm posted record-breaking year-on-year sales growth figures of 32.7 per cent for the 12-week period ending 15 September.

Matthew Barnes, joint group managing director, said: “We give customers exactly what they want, which is the best products at the best prices, every day of the year. We have a simple low pricing offer that customers really understand, and we don’t try to confuse them with the likes of multibuy promotions.”

Aldi has recently been trying to attract a broader demographic of customers, with the company opening stores in more affluent areas.

The retailer, which started out in Essen, Germany, in 1913, opened 34 new stores in 2012, at a cost of nearly £120 million. It is due to open its 500th UK store in Bury St Edmunds later this month.