Aldi opens new store in Coventry retail park

Supermarket chain Aldi has opened a new store in Coventry, following the closure of several high-street brands in the city.

The new branch was opened on October 5 in Central Six Retail Park. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was fronted by Paralympics GB gold and silver medallist Libby Clegg, with whom Aldi has a partnership.

The first 30 customers in line for the store were given free bags of fruit and vegetables, and Ms Clegg later spoke to children at Earlsdon Primary School. Both form part of the supermarket’s Get Set to Eat Fresh initiative, intended to emphasise the importance of healthy eating and exercise.

The store has been well-received by local residents. On Google, 48 hours after it had opened the supermarket boasted exclusively five-star reviews. At Saturday lunchtime the store was extremely busy, with queues at all available tills.

It was lovely to welcome our new customers into store, and I look forward to meeting more of the community in the coming weeks.

Joe Dell, Aldi Store Manager

Store Manager Joe Dell, speaking to CoventryLive, said: “It was lovely to welcome our new customers into store, and I look forward to meeting more of the community in the coming weeks. I’m also thrilled that we’ve been able to support Earlsdon Primary School through our partnership with Paralympics GB.”

The new supermarket follows the closure of several stores in and around Coventry. Well-known high-street brands Wilko and Boots are both set to close stores in Coventry this October. At Central Six Retail Park itself, Sports Direct will also close this month.

The rate of decline has sparked fears that Coventry could soon become a ‘ghost town’. A Coventry City Council survey in April 2023 found there were 58 empty shop units in the city centre, a vacancy rate of 15 percent.

The new Aldi supermarket is open 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday, with reduced hours on Sundays. It has a staff of 56 people and is currently hiring.