Aldi’s £181m expansion plan

Supermarket chain Aldi has unveiled plans to invest £181 million in new UK stores after bargain-hunting shoppers helped profits to leap last year.

The firm said cash-strapped middle-class shoppers switching from more established grocers were behind a 30 per cent rise in group turnover to £2.8 billion last year. Operating profits jumped 450 per cent to £102.9 million.

The privately-owned German retailer pledged to open an extra 40 stores by the end of 2013, taking its total number of UK outlets to more than 500.

The company said the strong performance was down to a change in its offering, including greater focus on fresh food, and more people choosing Aldi for their main weekly shop. It added that it was seeing similar growth in 2012.