But if wine isn’t really your cup of tea – or, should we instead say, your tipple of choice – and you’d consider yourself to be more of a “self-proclaimed gin-ius” instead, then the budget supermarket retailer might have just the side hustle for you.
It’s been a long time coming, but Aldi has now launched its first ever – and the first in the UK, too – supermarket ‘Gin Club’, and is now in the process of carrying out a nationwide search for 30 gin enthusiasts to trial its award-winning gins before summer arrives.
Oh, and the best bit? Not only will the lucky recruits get to try some of the supermarket’s newest gins before they hit the shelves, they’ll also get sent them for completely free of charge.
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Aldi is recruiting gin testers and will send you bottles to try for free / Credit: Mae Mu | Olena Bohovyk (via Unsplash)
Each selected Gin Club member will receive three bottles of Aldi’s latest summer gin launches over an eight-week period.
Packages will include everything needed to craft the perfect cocktail masterpiece.
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Then, once the lucky recruits have tested each of the gins sent to them, all they’ll have to do in return is review each gin, create their very own cocktail, and share it on TikTok or Instagram using the dedicated #AldiGinClub hashtag, before getting to “sip back and enjoy”.
All reviews shared will help guide and inform Aldi’s booze-buying teams ahead of key decision-making for 2025.
Applications for the Gin Club are now open, and close on 25 June / Credit: Aldi
“We’re excited to be launching the UK’s first supermarket Gin Club,” commented Julie Ashfield, who is the Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK.
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“We’re recruiting a panel of gin enthusiasts that are passionate when it comes to cocktail creation, as Aldi’s award-winning gin range has gone from strength to strength, and this provides us with a fantastic opportunity to hear directly from our shoppers, helping to improve and develop our ranges for next year.”
Fancy it then? To apply, you’ll just need to be 18 or over, a legal UK resident, and provide 150 words explaining why you think you should be selected as an Aldi Gin Club member, as well as what your favourite Aldi gin is and what the best cocktail to make with it is.
Applications are now open, with a closing deadline of 25 June.
Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
“This is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication.”
Featured Image – Geograph
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Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week
Emily Sergeant
Who says breakfast has to end at 11am?
In news that’s set to be music to the ears of breakfast lovers in Manchester, Greggs is giving them exactly what they want.
We all know that brunch is a ‘thing’ by now, so now it’s time for brinner to make a name for itself instead, as Greggs has teamed up with Heinz to bring its much-loved breakfast menu back for tea time, kicking off from 4pm onwards.
The move comes as a new survey has found that the majority of Mancs (69%) admit to enjoying eating breakfast food in the evening, saying it’s ‘convenient and comforting’ – even ranking breakfast as a ‘more important’ meal than tea, as well (38% vs 36%).
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week / Credit: Greggs (Supplied)
Greggs says it has ‘lost count’ of the amount of customers that have tried to order breakfast items after the usual cut-off time, especially in Greater Manchester.
But luckily for those breakfast-loving Mancs, they can finally get their favourite breakfast and sauce pairing long after the morning rush is over next… but only at two Greggs branches, and only for a very limited time.
On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, the Heinz x Greggs Brinner collab will be available at Greggs St Mary’s Gate and Greggs Oxford Road, from 4-7pm only.
“We’ve lost count of the number of customers who have tried their luck ordering breakfast after 11am, so when Heinz came to us with the idea of making Brinner a reality, it felt like the perfect excuse to give the people what they want,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Customer Director at Greggs.
“And let’s be honest, a Greggs Bacon Roll just wouldn’t be the same without a squeeze of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.”
Emily Sergeant -
29th May 2024 
