Aldi is opening in new store in Lancashire as part of the supermarket’s plans to open 35 across the UK this year.

The UK’s fourth-largest supermarket, which opened its 1,000th UK store in Woking last year, will be bringing a new store to Portway in Preston, close to the docks, later this month.

It follows the opening of stores in Skelmersdale and Newport earlier this year, while towns such as Castle Gresley and Bardon are also set to welcome a new Aldi in the coming months.

The opening forms part of Aldi’s long-term target of 1,500 stores in the UK – with the supermarket set to invest £550 million on expanding its UK footprint this year alone.

Each new store opening will create around 40 new jobs on average, boosting employment opportunities within local areas.

Jonathan Neale, managing director of national real estate at Aldi UK, said: “After attracting more new customers than any other supermarket in the last 12 months, we’re more determined than ever to expand our presence across the country.

“We want to make high-quality food accessible to all, and shoppers know they’ll always get more for their money when shopping at Aldi.”

From June 1, store assistants at Aldi will receive a starting pay of £12.40 per hour, and those based within the M25 will receive £13.65 per hour.

Aldi also remains the only supermarket to offer paid breaks, which for the average store employee is worth more than £900 a year.

Stores opening in the coming months include:

  • Portway, Preston
  • Meteor Retail Park, Derby
  • Castle Gresley, Derbyshire
  • Swinfen Vale, Bardon
  • High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
  • Stoke Gifford, Bristol