Aldi has called British suppliers the “lifeblood” of its business, as it spent an additional £1.3bn with them in 2023.
The discount grocer’s investments mean British suppliers and growers now provide more than three-quarters of all items sold in its stores.
It comes as Aldi, which works with around 5,000 suppliers across the UK, has been ranked the ‘best supermarket’ in the annual Groceries Code Adjudicator (GSCOP) survey for conducting relationships fairly and in good faith for 10 years.
Aldi UK managing director of buying Julie Ashfield said: “Longstanding relationships with suppliers are at the heart of our success and we are proud to work with so many British suppliers, helping to bolster job opportunities and investment in the UK supply chain.”
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Last week Aldi announced the launch of a dedicated ‘Best of British’ section to its webpage, giving shoppers the opportunity to choose from a selection of British groceries.
Fellow discounter Lidl also revealed it was investing over £70m to move its British root veg suppliers to new long-term contracts, and has also committed to “Backing British”.
Earlier this month Defra secretary Steve Barclay urged supermarkets to do more to help shoppers purchase more British produce online, after Morrisons became the first UK retailer to offer a dedicated “Buy British” section last year.
