Aldi has launched a massive recruitment drive and is looking to for thousands of new staff to join the team ready for Christmas.
With the festive season now practically within our sights, and most British supermarkets having already unveiled their Christmas food and drink ranges for 2023, Aldi is gearing up and preparing for what is always one of the busiest times for the retail industry by launching yet another massive recruitment drive.
Merely months after opening up dozens of new roles at its Greater Manchester distribution centre, the budget supermarket retailer is now hiring for a whopping 3,000 new staff members, both temporary and permanent, at stores right across the UK.
Aldi is recruiting thousands of new staff across the UK ready for Christmas / Credit: Aldi
The thousands of new staff will be tasked with helping to replenish stock and provide assistance to customers during the Christmas period.
Some of the roles available include Store Assistants, managerial positions, cleaners, and more.
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Starting pay for Store Assistants is industry-leading £11.40 per hour nationally, and £12.85 per hour inside the M25.
Aldi also remains the only supermarket in the UK to offer paid breaks too.
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3,000 store roles and 1,500 distribution centre roles are up for grabs / Credit: Aldi
On top of the 3,000 new store staff, Aldi is also recruiting across its Regional Distribution Centres in the UK too – including at its Greater Manchester site in Bolton – with around 1,500 roles available, including Warehouse Selectors, Logistics Assistants, and Warehouse Cleaners.
Aldi currently has over 990 UK stores and employs around 36,000 people, but the supermarket has been open about its long-term commitment to have 1,500 branches nationwide to “meet growing demand”.
This latest festive recruitment push forms part of Aldi’s nationwide expansion, with the goal of opening an average of one new store a week, every week, before Christmas is here.
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The festive recruitment push forms part of Aldi’s nationwide expansion / Credit: Aldi
“It’s never been more important to us to make affordable high-quality food accessible to all, especially at Christmas,” Aldi’s Recruitment Director, Kelly Stokes, said as the Christmas recruitment drive launches nationwide.
“That’s why we’re looking forward to welcoming thousands of new colleagues to our stores and Regional Distribution Centres over the coming months.
“Our colleagues play such a vital role in keeping our shelves stocked throughout the year, which is why we will once again be keeping our stores closed on Boxing Day as a way to say thank you for their continued hard work.”
More information about all the roles Aldi is currently hiring for is available on the supermarket’s website, and you also can apply here.
Featured Image – Aldi
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Altrincham named one of the UK’s best places to live in 2026 in The Sunday Times’ annual ranking
Emily Sergeant
A popular Greater Manchester town has been named among the UK’s best places to live by the Sunday Times in its annual ranking.
That’s right… it’s that time of year, once again.
The Sunday Times is known for pulling together a list of what it considers to be the most sought-after places to live in the UK every year, and 2026’s ranking has officially been published today – with dozens of locations across the country making up the comprehensive guide, and six of those coveted locations being right here in the North West.
The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all locations on the list, and assessed factors such as schools, transport, culture, broadband speeds, access to green spaces, the health of the high streets, and much more to devise the always-talked-about annual ranking.
Macclesfield in Cheshire, Eden Valley in Cumbria, Lancaster in Lancashire, and Aigburth in Liverpool are just some of the North West areas named by the publication in the 2026 list.
Altrincham has been named one of the best places to live in the UK / Credit: The Manc Group
A spotlight has also been shone on two Greater Manchester towns, and one of two has even been given the regional North West title… but which are they?
Where has taken the top spot as the best place to live in the North West for 2026, and is therefore one of the best places to live in the whole of the country? Well, that honour has been given to none other than Greater Manchester’s very-own Altrincham.
The publication described the Trafford town as ‘classy, cool and effortlessly comfortable’.
“Altrincham is a top-notch town brimming with independent businesses and big brands, and now it’s flying even higher,” The Sunday Times said.
The fact that co-working has now arrived on the high street thanks to the conversion of the old Rackhams department store, and that the town’s cultural and creative ‘cachet’ is also on the rise, have been highlighted as reasons as to why Altrincham has been chosen as the North West’s winner, as well its newly-flourishing fitness scene.
Of course, the town has also been praised for its transport links into Manchester city centre and across the region, as well as it being a great place for families thanks to the excellent local schools on offer.
Didsbury was the other Greater Manchester town chosen to represent the best of the North West – with the Manchester suburb described as being ‘stylish, solid, safe, and, yes, a little bit smug in parts… but that’s okay’.
You can read the full Altrincham feature here, and see where else The Sunday Times included in its list for 2026 here.
Featured Image – Geograph
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11 arrested and £70k cash seized during early-morning police drug raids across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
11 people have been arrested, as well as a large amount of cash and drugs seized, during early-morning raids across Greater Manchester.
The raids took place during the early hours of the morning yesterday (Thursday 19 March 2026), where Greater Manchester Police (GMP) successfully executed eight warrants simultaneously across Tameside, Oldham, and Rochdale to tackle a ‘suspected criminal network’ involved in the distribution of class A drugs and firearms.
Officers from Tameside Programme Challenger team, the District Intelligence Unit (DIU), and GMP’s Tactical Aid Unit (TAU) were deployed to each of the addresses.
Following weeks of intelligence gathering and preparation, a total of 11 people – each aged between 24 and 77 – were arrested on suspicion of drug-related offences during the raids.
Eight men and three women were arrested on suspicion of a range of offences, including conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs, being part of an organised crime group, possession with intent to supply, money laundering, and possession of an offensive weapon.
They all remain in police custody for questioning at this time, GMP confirmed.
During searches of the addresses, various class A, B and C drugs – including crack cocaine, heroin, cannabis, and nitrous oxide – were seized, while further recoveries of £70,000 in cash, a zombie knife, a BB gun, and four vehicles were also made at the same time.
Speaking following the success of the raids yesterday, Chief Superintendent Shan Nasim, District Commander for Tameside, said: “[This] operation has been a powerful example of our continued, determined effort to dismantle organised crime in our district and Greater Manchester.
“We have 11 people in custody being questioned by our investigation teams in relation to an organised crime group (OCG) that have been causing widespread harm across our communities.
“This action caused significant disruption of an organised crime group (OCG) and has prevented drugs and weapons from reaching the streets, as well as the associated harms that come hand in hand with organised crime.
“Organised criminals exploit vulnerable people and blight our communities; we will take robust action to catch offenders, keep our communities safe, and protect vulnerable people across Greater Manchester.”