Mason Moore | Hinckley Reporter | 21 June 2021

GERMAN DISCOUNT giant, Aldi, have shown interest in opening new supermarkets in Barwell and Earl Shilton, near Hinckley.

The news comes as the discounter issued a list this month of 12 new areas which they ‘on the lookout’ for across Leicestershire.

At this moment in time, the closest stores to the villagers in both areas are located in Hinckley, which sports two stores – Holliers Walk and Watling Street.

Aldi currently boasts over 900 stores in the UK, and they have been on an ‘expansion drive’ in recent years, approximately opening one new store a week on average, in a bid to meet the demand from new customers.

They are on the hunt for ‘freehold’ sites in town centres, or on the edge of centres, which are suitable for development.

Each site should be around 1.5 acres and be able to accommodate a 20,000 sq. ft store with around 120 parking spaces, ideally on a prominent main road with good visibility and access.

Ciaran Aldridge, National Property Director at Aldi UK, said: “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.

“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.”

The 12 target areas

The full list of sites that they are targeting in Leicestershire are:

•           Barwell

•           Earl Shilton

•           Bardon Hill

•           Enderby

•           Evington

•           Ibstock

•           Knighton, Leicester

•           Leicester – Fosse Park

•           Mountsorrel

•           Oadby

•           Shepshed

•           Uppingham