Aldi to create 4,000 jobs and open 100 new stores as part of £1.3bn package

The discount chain said it hopes to create thousands of jobs in 2021 in addition to the 3,000 roles it created this year, as part of its 30th anniversary in the UK.

It currently has more than 11,000 shops nationwide, which it hopes to expand to 12,000 by 2025.

Other investments include refitting and upgrading 100 of its stores under the “project fresh” initiative, building new or expanding its distribution centres, and rolling out new innovations such as its “click-and-collect” service which launched earlier this month.

The discounter saw a 49 per cent increase in pre-tax profits to £271.5 million in the year to December 31.

Sales also rose by 8.3 per cent to £12.3 billion thanks to a rise in new shoppers, up six per cent to 17.6 million in the same year.

Sales have continued to grow throughout the pandemic and Aldi has promised to keep its prices the "lowest in the market".

In May, Aldi launched a home delivery service in partnership with Deliveroo but customers can only shop for the essentials.

Giles Hurley, chief executive for Aldi UK and Ireland, said: "The response to the challenge presented by the Covid-19 pandemic was both heroic and historic.

"If there is a positive to take from the situation, it's that supermarkets, suppliers and shoppers can overcome the greatest of challenges when we work together.

"With the UK's economic outlook increasingly uncertain, families are more concerned about their grocery bills than ever.

“We’ve seen before that our customers need us most in times of financial hardship, which is why our commitment to remain Britain’s lowest-priced supermarket is more important than ever.”