Aldi will invest more than £300 million in 2026 to upgrade and extend its existing UK stores, adding to a previously announced £370 million expansion drive to open 40 new outlets next year.

The discounter said the funding would support a nationwide programme of store extensions and refurbishments designed to increase retail space and modernise layouts. Planned works include redesigned shop floors, updated fixtures and signage, and structural extensions at selected sites.

Energy efficiency will form part of the upgrade programme, with the retailer installing fridge doors to cut electricity use and introducing natural refrigerants to reduce carbon emissions. Aldi said improvements would vary by location but would focus on creating more space for shoppers and operational efficiencies.

Stores earmarked for extension in the coming months include branches on Beck Road in Huddersfield, Glamorgan Vale Retail Park in Llantrisant, Bebington Road in Bebington, Springbank Road in Stirling, Smithdown Road in Liverpool and Brooks Road in Lewes.

Further refurbishments are planned this year in Chester-le-Street in County Durham, on Handsworth Road in Sheffield, in Haverhill in Suffolk, on Tybridge Street in Worcester and in Chorley in Lancashire.

Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said the investment would complement the retailer’s pipeline of new openings. “As well as opening new stores, we’re also investing in existing ones to make sure everyone can get what they need from Aldi,” he said. He added that extending and upgrading branches would allow the chain to “serve even more customers while creating even better shopping environments for our colleagues and shoppers”.

The latest commitment follows Aldi’s £370 million pledge to open 40 stores in 2026 as part of a two-year expansion programme. The company last year set out a broader £1.6 billion investment plan as it works towards a long-term target of operating 1,500 UK stores.

Last month, consumer group Which? named Aldi the UK’s cheapest supermarket for the fifth consecutive year. In its January 2026 monthly comparison of 89 branded and own-label items, the organisation again ranked the chain as the lowest-priced option.

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