Aldi is set to become the UK’s fastest growing supermarket chain, with the total space applied for within planning applications by the value retailer outstripping competitors for the first time.
Planning applications totalling almost 940,000 sq ft were lodged by Aldi in the 12 months to June, according to EGi Retail Research – more than the combined total of the big four.
By number of applications, the discount retailer has topped the table for the past three years in a row as it taps into demand for discount grocery shopping in the UK, with plans to double its store numbers by 2021.
Lidl also upped its number of planned stores, submitting 29 applications for 600,000 sq ft of space, as the discounters continued to pull shoppers away from the main chains.
In contrast, planning applications for Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda all declined over the past 12 months, as the supermarkets continued to curtail expansion plans and consolidate their existing portfolios.
According to retail experts at IGD, the combined turnover of the discount stores is set to expand by 82.2% to £23.2bn by 2020, whereas the overall turnover of the supermarket sector will increase by just 16.6% over the same period. Superstores, on the other hand, will see sales dip by 2.9%.
