Aldi in talks with No 10 as it looks to speed up store openings
Aldi has been in talks with No 10 regarding changes to planning reform, as the retailer looks to speed up new store openings.
Speaking on LinkedIn, Aldi’s national real estate director George Brown said he had been to No 10 last week to discuss planning reform with the Prime Minister’s senior special advisor, Nick Williams.
Obtaining planning permission for new Aldi stores can take over 12 months due to “under-resourcing” in local authorities, he said.
However, Brown added the retailer would “happily invest” in the application process to help speed it up.
He also argued that retail should be given more weighting in the decision-making process compared to other sectors such as general industrial and storage, classed as B2 and B8 respectively:
“Yet unlike some traditional employment occupiers (such as B2 and B8) which may have far lower job density, retail is not given the same weighting in the decision making process. To unlock significant investment in the UK economy this needs to change”, Brown said.
Aldi is set to invest over £550m into its store estate in 2024 alone. This investment includes plans to open new stores across the country, as well as invest into its existing locations and distribution centres.
The retailer is aiming open a total of 35 stores this year.
Aldi – which currently operates over 1,000 stores in the UK – has a long-term target of 1,500 locations across the country.