Aldi’s $300m supermarket sweep in SA begins in earnest
Aldi’s sweeping dominance of the Australian supermarket sector has anchored in South Australia with confirmation its first round of stores will open in February.
The German supermarket chain announced today Seaford Heights, Parafield Gardens, Hallett Cove and Woodcroft were “on track” to open on February 3 next year as part of its $300 million foray into the SA grocery sector.
The four stores will be the first of 150 supermarkets planned for suburbs and regional centres around the state.
Other stores are planned for West Lakes, Hawthorn, Victor Harbor, Blakeview, Smithfield, Kilburn, Gilles Plains, Berri, Marion, Aldinga, Evanston, Nuriootpa, Golden Grove, Salisbury, Mount Gambier, Port Pirie and Yorke Peninsula.
Business is booming for the discount supermarket chain which, since taking on rivals on the east coast and mushrooming nationwide after initiating plans to move into Western Australia and SA, has become the greatest threat to the Coles and Woolworths grocery dominance.
Last financial figures, unveiled during the Senate inquiry into tax transparency early this year, showed sales and pre-tax profit had almost doubled since 2010. Sales grew from $3.14 billion to $6 billion in 2013.
![ALDI-Store[1]](https://wp.indaily.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ALDI-Store1.jpg)
Aldi Australia also announced today that its distribution centre at Regency Park was finished and training staff will now begin this month.
“The completion of Aldi’s distribution centre is an important step for our business,” Aldi South Australia managing director Viktor Jakupec said.
The new centre will service up to 50 stores.
The almost cult-like reaction sparked by news of an Aldi store being built in a nearby neighbourhood is not lost on the chain.
“We know excitement is building among South Australian shoppers and we look forward to showing them the benefits Aldi can bring both to their wallet and their lifestyle,” Jakupec said.
The next round of store openings will include Modbury, Noarlunga, Mount Barker and St Agnes in March, with a total of 16 stores expected to be open by the end of 2016.
The state’s first store managers, selected from 3000 applicants, have returned to SA after eight weeks of training to learn “the Aldi way of doing business”.
“Our commitment to the personal development of Aldi employees starts from day one,” Jakupec said.
“Aldi’s training program sets our employees up for career success.
“We’ve enjoyed seeing our staff grow alongside our business and independent employee surveys have consistently shown high levels of job satisfaction,” he said.
