Aldi has announced plans to increase the amount of food and drink it buys from British suppliers by £3.5 billion a year within the next five years as it continues its rapid expansion across the UK.
The retailer is investing £500 million in new and upgraded stores, distribution centres and its supply chain in 2021, which it said will create over 4,000 jobs as well as new opportunities for British food and drink producers.
Giles Hurley, chief executive at Aldi UK, said: “We are expecting significant sales growth in 2021 as we open new stores and bring Aldi to more locations across the UK. With the vast majority of our grocery products now coming from British suppliers, our growth will lead to additional jobs and investment in our UK supply chain.”
Aldi said its pledge would help hundreds of small British businesses continue to grow with the supermarket and invest for the future.
Aldi has also confirmed that the immediate payment terms for small suppliers that it introduced at the start of the coronavirus pandemic will be extended until the end of 2021.
The commitment means the supermarket will continue to process payments for suppliers with an annual turnover of less than £1m with Aldi as soon as they are submitted. The supermarket said the move will benefit more than 1,000 small British businesses in its supply chain.
