Aldi plans expansion drive to cash in on credit crunch

The German-owned chain is spending £1.5bn on the five-year UK expansion programme, which will raise store numbers from about 400 to 1,500.

It will take on an additional 1,500 staff this year alone.

Aldi's UK managing director Paul Foley told The Grocer magazine that the economic downturn was acting as a jolt to people's buying habits and encouraging them to switch grocers.

He described the offer as a mixture of value and premium and said Aldi was targeting all areas of the UK.