Aldi has announced it is on the lookout for hundreds of new store locations across the country.

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 demand from new customers.

The budget supermarket competes alongside Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Lidl as part of the UK's 'big six' supermarkets. 

It is now looking for over 400 sites in England, 30 in Wales and 20 in Scotland, though towns in every UK region are included on the list. 

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

It says each site should be around 1.5 acres and able to accommodate a 20,000 sq ft store with around 100 parking spaces, ideally on a prominent main road and 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 full list of areas it is targeting include:

  • 100 sites in the South East, including Brighton, Oxford and Reading
  • 71 sites in the South West, including Bristol, Plymouth and Swindon
  • 54  sites in the West Midlands, including Birmingham, Warwick and Worcester
  • 61 sites in the East Midlands, including Leicester, Lincoln and Nottingham
  • 38 sites in the East of England, including Cambridge, St Albans and Hemel Hampstead
  • 50 sites in the North West, including Manchester, Liverpool and Warrington
  • 11 sites in the North East, including Durham, Newcastle and Sunderland
  • 35 sites in Yorkshire, including Middlesbrough, Harrogate and Halifax
  • 20 sites in Scotland, including Edinburgh, Dumbarton and Shotts
  • 30 sites in Wales, including Cardiff, Newport and Swansea