Aldi ‘added a million new customers in 2012’ as German company’s profits leap

30 Sep 2013
Mirror uk

Aldi is set to open its 500th supermarket in the UK next month and has been targeting more affluent areas of the UK in recent times

Discount supermarket Aldi says it welcomed a million new customers through its doors in the UK last year, leading to a 124% leap in the company’s profits.

The German chain banked £158million as sales jumped more than 40% to nearly £3.9billion in 2012.

The firm has grown both customer numbers and the number of products bought by the average shopper.

Aldi invested £116m last year opening 34 new stores and is on track to plough a further £185m into 50 additional branches this year, creating nearly 6,000 jobs.

It is set to open its 500th UK store next month and has been targeting more affluent areas of the UK in recent times.

Matthew Barnes, joint group managing director, said: “We give customers exactly what they want, which is the best products at the best prices, every day of the year.

“We have a simple low pricing offer that customers really understand and we don’t try to confuse them with the likes of multi-buy promotions.”

Neil Saunders, managing director of retail analysts Conlumino, said of Aldi’s performance: “They have been growing for two reasons.

“The first of which is the current austerity mindset where people are shopping around for a better deal.

“The other thing Aldi has done is pushed the perception and image of the store upward, improving brand perceptions and store environments.”