Aldi has revealed an aim to create more than 2,000 jobs and open 100 new stores next year in ambitious £1.3 billion investment plan.
It comes after the popular budget supermarket chain – which currently has over 920 stores and employs around 38,000 people right across the UK – said it was launching a huge North West recruitment drive earlier this month as it pushed ahead with plans to open more than one new store a week before 2021 is out, with towns and cities such as Canterbury, Swansea and London soon set to welcome new branches.
New stores were also tipped to open in Greater Manchester and the North West region.
On top of those plans, the retailer aims to open a further 100 new stores and a logistics centre in Leicestershire to ramp up its share of the UK grocery market.
This newly-announced £1.3 billion investment plan will pan out over the next two years.
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The new jobs at Aldi will add to the 7,000 permanent roles already created at stores across the UK over the past two years, the company said.
Aldi currently employs around 38,000 people right across the UK / Credit: Twitter (@AldiCareersUK)
The investment announcement also comes after Aldi bosses revealed that the company’s sales soared 10.2% in the UK and Ireland in 2020 to £12.3 billion, and adding that the number of customers during the period increased from 17.6 million to 17.8 million.
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Bosses also pointed to industry data that showed more than 60% of households had shopped with Aldi at some point over the year.
Speaking on the investment announcement, Giles Hurley – Chief Executive for Aldi UK and Ireland – said: “As well as delivering record sales, we continued to invest for growth, deploying over £600 million in stores and distribution centres across the UK.
“This helped to create thousands of much-needed jobs and support for British farmers and manufacturers.
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“Whilst the cost of responding to the pandemic dampened profits, our decision to return business rate relief was the right thing to do.”
This newly-announced £1.3 billion investment plan will pan out over the next two years / Credit: Aldi Careers UK
Looking forward, the supermarket announced its ‘Click and Collect’ services have been rolled out to 200 stores nationwide, which offers shoppers the chance to order online for the first time – although the option for home delivery is still not available.
A new checkout-free store is also in the works to open in Greenwich in London.
Featured Image – Aldi UK & Ireland
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Heartbreaking new figures show 35% of all children in the North West are living in poverty
Emily Sergeant
35% of all children in the North West are currently living in poverty, some heartbreaking new figures have revealed.
Some new research carried out to understand regional levels of child poverty, conducted by Loughborough University for the End Child Poverty Coalition, has sadly revealed over a third (35%) of all children in the North West are living in what is called ‘relative poverty’, after the cost of housing is considered – which is higher than the national average standing at 31%.
Over in the Lancashire authority of Pendle, this figure reaches 45%, making it the second highest rate of all local authorities in the country.
In Greater Manchester, both Oldham and Manchester join Pendle in the list of the 10 council areas with the highest child poverty rates in the UK, as well as Blackburn with Darwen, and Hyndburn, and to make matters worse, the North West features on the list more times than any other region nationwide.
Rusholme was identified as the Manchester area with the highest percentage rating – with more than half (51.3%) of all children there living in poverty.
88% of constituencies across the North West have a quarter of children in poverty.
This could lead to things like families being forced to use food banks, children going without warm clothes in winter, or living in cold or unsafe housing.
As a result of these shocking statistics being revealed, the End Child Poverty Coalition – which represents more than 135 organisations across the UK – is calling on the Government to meet its manifesto commitment to address these high levels of child poverty, not just in the North West but also across the rest of country.
“These figures should demonstrate to Government just how important it is to quickly address this so to prevent another generation of children from growing up in low-income families,” commented Rachel Walters, who is the End Child Poverty Coalition Manager.
“The Government’s strategy to tackle child poverty must invest in children in areas with higher levels of poverty, like the North West.”
Graham Whitham, who is a End Child Poverty Coalition spokesperson and the Chief Executive of Resolve Poverty, added: “No child should go without the things they need to be healthy and happy.
“The Government’s forthcoming national Child Poverty Strategy must demonstrate a clear ambition to ending child poverty in this country, backed by specific targets and immediate investment in social security.”
Featured Image – RawPixel
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Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road to close for annual safety checks this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road is set to close this weekend while annual safety checks are carried out, it has been confirmed.
As Manchester City Council looks to maintain and improve what is, by far, one of Manchester’s busiest and most-used roads, given the fact it is the main thoroughfare in and out of the city centre, it has been confirmed that Mancunian Way is set to close overnight this weekend for its annual inspection.
Carried out every year, the Council explains that these closures ensure that ‘vital’ safety inspections can be conducted to allow the major road to continue operating as normal.
The overnight closure will take place from 7-8 June.
From 5am on Saturday (7 June), Mancunian Way will be closed in both directions along its entire length, including all slip roads, between the Chester Road roundabout and Fairfield Street, and this will last until 7pm on Sunday (8 June), after which the road will be open to traffic again as normal.
In the meantime while the closures are underway, the Council assures that a signed diversion route will be in place via the north and eastern ring road sections – Trinity Way and Great Ancoats Street – and a local diversion route will be signed via Bridgewater Street, Whitworth Street West, Whitworth Street, and Fairfield Street.
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road Mancunian Way is closing for annual safety checks this weekend / Credit: Pixabay
During this period there will also be a lane closure east/westbound at the Deansgate Interchange between 6:30-9:30am, and the inbound lane of Princess Road (heading towards Manchester) between 6:30am and 11:15am.
As is to be expected with these kinds of tasks, Councillors say they are preparing for a ‘level of disruption’ but are intending to keep it to a minimum.
“The annual inspection of the Mancunian Way is a vital job which ensures that the tens of thousands of daily users of this road can go about their journey in safety,” explained Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport.
“We do expect a level of disruption throughout this process so wherever possible we’d advise people to travel via public transport, or plan an alternate route ahead to avoid the work locations.
The Manc -
27th September 2021 
