Aldi enhances bakery fixtures as part of £67m investment in 2025 store updates
Aldi is giving an aesthetic upgrade to its bakery fixtures as part of a £67m investment throughout 2025 to deliver an “even better shopping experience” at its UK stores.
The discounter said that layout changes and refreshed signage of its existing bakery fixtures will help accommodate expanding categories, without going into more detail.
Other improvements being made through Aldi’s £67m investment include to its health and beauty fixtures as well as its in-store CO2 refrigeration systems which, once completed, will provide carbon emissions reductions equivalent to heating over 6,500 homes.
“Aldi’s £67m investment is a major step forward in our commitment to delivering an even better shopping experience for our customers across Britain,” commented Aldi UK managing director of national real estate Jonathan Neale.
“Building on the success of our previous upgrades, we’re enhancing store layouts as part of our dedication to providing customers with more sustainable stores, convenience and an improved shopping experience nationwide,” Neale added.
The bakery, health and beauty fixture updates follow an initial phase that saw more space created at stores for fresh, chilled and foot-to-go ranges, simpler layouts, and use of more energy efficient LED lighting.
These all form part of Aldi’s wider investment programme for 2025, which also features a total of £650m to be spent on accelerating expansion across Britain’s town and cities. The retailer is targeting around 30 new supermarket openings this year including in Wimbledon, Fulham Broadway, Billericay, Caterham, Orpington, and Cheadle in Stoke-on-Trent.
Aldi operates more than 1,000 stores in the UK. It recently announced that store assistants are to receive a pay rise from 1 March, with hourly rates increasing from £12.40 to at least £12.75 (£14.05 in London). A further 10p pay increase will come in September. Aldi claims to be the only UK supermarket to offer staff paid breaks.
A ‘direct play’ on Lidl’s bakery offer
In reaction to the news, ESA Retail growth director Kirk Brazier told British Baker that Aldi’s upgrades were aimed at growing brand loyalty. This will help “keep the customer in their stores and out of the competitor stores – offering fresher baked goods and a more convenient one-stop shopping environment,” he said.
While noting that Aldi’s baked goods have historically been pre-packaged and delivered to stores, Brazier reckoned the investment “feels like a direct play to match or beat Lidl’s bakery offer”. The rival discounter overtook Tesco last year for the largest share of the UK’s in-store bakery market. At the time, Aldi was in ninth place with 0.7% of the ISB market compared to Lidl’s 18.2% and Tesco’s 18%.
“Shoppers are increasingly looking for fresher, high-quality food at budget prices,” commented Brazier at ESA Retail. “By expanding its bakery offerings, Aldi will be looking to align itself with the consumer demand for fresh and convenient options, reinforcing its reputation for quality at low prices.
“Bakery items are often daily essentials, meaning customers may also visit Aldi more frequently. Once in-store, we know that customers are then more likely to purchase additional items, therefore increasing overall sales and growing their brand strength,” he added.
Aldi partners with Channel 4 on the TV competition Aldi’s Next Big Thing, which offers winners a ‘SpecialBuy’ listing at its stores nationwide. The 2024 bakery category winner Flake Bake went on to secure a second limited run last August to coincide with the Notting Hill carnival.
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