Aldi names Cootehill among 30 new stores
Aldi will open a new store in Cootehill as part of a €320 million Irish expansion drive in a bid to further grow its share of the Irish grocery market. The investment drive will see Aldi open 30 new stores across the country, building on the €1.6 billion Aldi has already invested in its 149 Irish store and distribution network.
The proposed new store will be situated on Station Road in the town and will cover 1,315 sqm, with parking facilities for 93 cars and 10 bicycles.
Under the plans it will also be powered by 100% green electricity and will feature four electric vehicle (EV) charging points outside. The store itself will be constructed in Aldi’s award-winning Project Fresh design.
Fifty jobs are expected to be created during the construction phase of the development, with up to 25 jobs in the store itself. Aldi had said it hopes to open the supermarket by 2023.
Aldi has applied for planning permission for the store but Cavan County Council sought further information in May of this year on the plans and also granted the applicant more time to submit the relevant files before a final decision can be made.
The German discounter has signalled its intention to increase its investment in Ireland by more than 75% over the next three years compared to 2019-2021.
The new stores will provide additional trading opportunities for the 330 Irish producers Aldi now partners with. Aldi will spend over €1 billion with Irish producers this year, an increase of almost 20% on 2020, including €250 million on Irish food and drink during the busy Christmas trading period.
Commenting, Niall O’Connor, group managing director at Aldi Ireland said: “We’re investing €320 million over the next three years in the opening of 30 new stores, bringing unbeatable prices, value and employment to more towns, villages and city suburbs.”
Sustainability is a lead priority for Aldi. Over the past two years Aldi has made huge progress is meeting its targets of halving the volume of plastic packaging it uses by 2025 and ensuring 100% of its own-brand product packaging will be recyclable, reusable, or compostable by the end of next year. 95% of its own-brand products now feature eco-friendly packaging, while 2,150 tonnes of virgin plastic have been removed from its stores and a further 930 tonnes of non-recyclable packaging materials replaced with recyclable alternatives.
Aldi’s existing Cavan store is deeply involved in the local community, having donated over 27,600 meals to local charities to date through Aldi’s partnership with FoodCloud. Aldi’s Cavan store is also part of its Community Grants network, with Cuan Cancer Social Support Centre one of the many local charities that have availed of the €500 bursary grant in recent years.
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