Aldi plans to spend more than £370m ($511.78m) in 2026 to expand its supermarket network across the UK, as part of its wider expansion programme in the country.

The German discount supermarket chain said the funding will go towards opening about 40 additional outlets during the year.

Locations already identified include Southam, Warwickshire; Hastings, East Sussex; and Amersham, Buckinghamshire.

The programme forms part of a £1.6bn two-year investment strategy unveiled last year, under which Aldi is pursuing a long-term ambition to operate 1,500 stores nationwide.

The latest announcement follows a wave of openings in 2025, when the group added sites in England, Scotland and Wales.

Alongside its expansion plans, Aldi released data indicating that households in more than 200 UK towns spend up to £2,437 extra each year on grocery bills because they do not have access to one of its supermarkets.

Earlier this month, the company also said it would lift pay for shop-floor employees from 1 March 2026, with store assistant wages rising to £13.35 an hour nationally and up to £14.30 with service.

Aldi UK and Ireland CEO Giles Hurley said: “Our unwavering commitment is to make high-quality, affordable groceries accessible to everybody. But we recognise that there are still areas without an Aldi store, so our expansion plans for 2026 are designed to address some of these gaps as we work towards our long-term goal of 1,500 UK stores.”

Earlier this month, Aldi unveiled plans to open more than 180 new stores across the US by the end of 2026.

The expansion coincided with the retailer’s 50th year of operations in the country and formed part of a five-year growth strategy aimed at increasing its national footprint.

During this year, Aldi aims to launch new outlets across 31 states, taking its total number of US stores to nearly 2,800 by year-end.