Aldi has announced its largest ever package of annual investment to accelerate its expansion across Britain’s towns and cities.

The supermarket is searching for freehold town-centre, edge-of-centre, and retail park sites suitable for property development. The sites should be able to accommodate a 20,000 sq foot store with around 100 parking spaces. Ideally the location will be near a main road with good visibility and access.

The areas in Devon where it is currently looking for sites include Exmouth and Exeter.

In its annual trading update, Aldi said it plans to open 23 new locations before the end of the year across the UK, marking a record £800m investment programme during 2024.

The retailer, which currently has over 1,000 stores, has previously announced plans to scale to 1,500 stores across the UK and Aldi has confirmed Devon is among the areas it is focusing on. 

Richard Thornton, Communications Director at Aldi UK, said: “We are committed to bringing high quality, affordable groceries to millions more British families.

“With more than 1,000 stores across the country, our footprint is definitely growing, but we know there are still a number of towns that either don’t have an Aldi or have shown demand for more stores.”

Anybody who has a site that may fit Aldi’s requirements should contact realestateacquisitions@aldi.co.uk.