Discount retailer Aldi is planning to open 200 London stores, according to reports from the Evening Standard.
This drive will include expansion in middle class areas, with Aldi’s director for London and the South-East, Graham Hetherington, declaring that there are no “no-go” areas.
The smaller size of the typical Aldi format, which is a quarter of the size of a medium-sized Tesco, would help with rolling out more London locations, said Hetherington.
Aldi currently has 20 outlets in London. The discounter proposes to open up to five stores a year over the next few years, before stepping up the rate of expansion.
Discounters Aldi and Lidl have been profiting in the recent economic downturn, with figures from TNS Worldpanel revealing the retailers posted growth of 19.8% and 12.3% respectively for the 12 weeks to 10 August 2008, while the turnover over the total grocery market was up 7.2%.
