Aldi to create 500 jobs in 2019 with opening of seven new stores

Discount retailer, Aldi, is planning a significant expansion of its Irish operations in 2019, with hundreds of new roles to be created in the process.

The German retailer is set to hire 500 new staff in Ireland this year and open seven new stores.

This is in addition to the continued programme of refurbishing its existing stores. Aldi Ireland currently operates 137 stores in Ireland, employing almost 3,500 people.

As part of the announcement, Aldi Ireland also confirmed that it will introduce a new minimum rate of pay of €11.90 per hour, matching the living wage rate recommended by the Living Wage Technical Group.

The new rate of pay will be effective from February 1, making Aldi the first grocery retailer to pay the living wage in Ireland.

Rival retailer, Lidl, announced plans to introduce a minimum rate of pay of €11.90 per hour in November 2018. It intends to roll out the new rate in March 2019.

The new roles are for area managers, store managers, assistant store managers, store assistants and stock assistants.

Giles Hurley, CEO Aldi UK and Ireland, said that the increased rate of pay is a recognition of the 'hard work and commitment' of staff:

“We have always provided our employees with market-leading pay rates and will continue to do so. We are committed to offering the best pay and benefits in the industry."

“We plan on hiring 500 new employees this year to join the Aldi team and contribute to our growth and success. We need the very best people to join our business to help us continue to deliver the highest level of customer service and lowest grocery prices in Ireland.

Our expanding store portfolio, market performance and new Project Fresh stores demand that we continue to future proof our business with the best people in retail.

The retailer is currently engaging in a new store opening programme, with plans to open seven new stores by the end of the year. It is also investing €60 million in revamping and refurbishing its existing stores nationwide, introducing a new layout and design.

Aldi has a 10.8% share of the grocery market in Ireland, according to figures from Kantar Worldpanel. It places it slightly ahead of rival Lidl, which holds around 10.5%.

While both Aldi and Lidl recorded their best Christmas performance to date and outperformed their rivals in growth terms, their individual market shares are more than 10% behind SuperValu, Tesco and Dunnes Stores.