An East Lancashire town is set to get a new Aldi supermarket next year after the chain announced new locations it is planning to open in.

Aldi said it plans to invest more than £12 million in new and upgraded stores across Lancashire next year.

Bacup is set to get a new Aldi, the supermarket confirmed, along with new stores in Preston and Skelmersdale across the rest of the county.

The existing store in Skelmersdale will also get upgrades as part of the investment.

The new stores are part of the retailer's plans to invest a total of £1.4 billion in expanding its footprint across the UK.

New stores set to open in 2024 will create an estimated 1,500 new jobs across the country, with further job opportunities in all of its current stores, Regional Distribution Centres and UK offices.

Earlier this year, it had been rumoured Aldi was looking for a site to open a store in Darwen, but these plans are yet to come to fruition.

Plans for Aldi to build a new store to replace its existing site in Accrington were also approved in September, while the Burnley branch received a renovation earlier this year too.

Communications director for Aldi UK, Richard Thornton, said: “We’re continuing to welcome more and more new customers through our doors – with people coming for our low prices but sticking around for our award-winning quality. 
   
“However, there are still areas of the country that don’t have an Aldi, or that need more or larger stores to meet demand.

"That is what our 2024 expansion plans aim to do. We now have more than 1,000 stores across the UK but there are plenty more Aldi stores still to come, in 2024 and beyond.”  

Aldi already has three stores in Blackburn, two in Burnley, and others in Accrington, Great Harwood, Clitheroe, Longridge, Colne, Rawtenstall, and Ramsbottom.