Supermarket chain Aldi looks for new sites across Sunderland and South Tyneside

The company has announced it is searching for a total of seven new store locations in Tyne and Wear.

The UK’s fifth largest supermarket has been on an expansion drive in recent years, opening around one new store a week on average to meet growing demand.

The areas in Tyne and Wear where it is now looking for sites include Sunderland, Houghton, South Shields and Jarrow, as well as Newcastle, Whitley Bay and Blaydon.

Aldi which now has more than 900 stores across the UK, says it is looking for freehold town-centre or edge-of-centre sites suitable for development.

It says each site should be around 1.5 acres in size and be able to accommodate a 20,000 sq ft store with around 100 parking spaces. Plots should ideally be located on a prominent main road and with good visibility and access.

Ciaran Aldridge is National Property Director at Aldi UK. He said the firm was looking to develop in areas where it did not yet have a presence or where demand was high: “We have been investing in Britain for more than 30 years now, but we know that there are still areas that either do not have an Aldi at all, or that need another store to meet customer demand,” he said.

“Shoppers are increasingly looking to get unbeatable prices on their weekly shop without compromising on quality. That’s why, more so than ever, we’re keen to explore all opportunities to open new stores across the country.”

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