Aldi is asking Brits to help find its new sites, echoing a scheme launched yesterday by fellow German discounter Lidl.
However, Aldi’s plea fails to replicate Lidl’s offering of a cash bonus for finders.
Instead, the UK’s third-largest supermarket wants people to nominate their town and email their reasons why a new store would be of benefit to the location.
Jonathan Neale, managing director of Aldi UK’s real estate, said: “We’ve identified some key places where there is demand for more stores already, but now we are calling on the public to share their views. This will be used to help inform our property search over the coming years.”
Aldi launched plans last month to open 35 new stores within 2024 as part of a £550 million investment into its estate.
In April, the discounter became the third-largest supermarket in the UK overtaking Asda after it benefited from recent years of continual growth.
Aldi now holds a 12.2% market share of the industry, while Asda accounts for around 11.7% of UK grocers.
On Tuesday, Lidl said it would be offering cash for people who help it find sites in part of a new expansion drive.
Hundreds of stores are set to open in the coming years and should the supermarket use a site identified by a person, that person will receive a finder’s fee of up to 1.5% of the freehold purchase price.