Supermarket giant Aldi has set its sights on moving into Sidmouth to open a new store as part of UK-wide expansion plans.
And the company has announced it could open another supermarket in Exeter, in addition to its three other stores already in Topsham, Alphington and Pinhoe.
Now the supermarket giant is on the hunt for suitable development sites in Sidmouth and Exeter to build a 20,000 sq ft store with around 100 parking spaces, close to a main road.
Sidmouth and Exeter were chosen as new store locations after the public was invited to pinpoint areas where the supermarkets were needed.
Aldi said the drive to build more supermarkets was part of its £650million investment in 2025 to reach its long-term target of opening 1,500 stores.
A spokeswoman for the supermarket said: “Aldi is on the lookout for new store locations in Devon as part of its rapid UK expansion plans.”
The spokeswoman said the public was recently invited to suggest areas most in need of an Aldi store.
She said ‘thousands’ of locations had been put forward by the public, resulting in Sidmouth, Exeter, Torquay, Plymouth and Brixham being identified as ‘priority areas’ where the supermarket would aim to build.
She said: “Aldi has now analysed thousands of suggestions to help shape its store search for the years ahead.
“Priority areas in Devon where the supermarket is actively looking include Torquay, Exeter, Plymouth, Sidmouth and Brixham.”
The spokeswoman added: “Each site should be able to accommodate a 20,000 sq ft store with around 100 parking spaces.
“Ideally the location will be near a main road with good visibility and access.”
The supermarket brand currently has more than 1,050 stores across the UK and is aiming towards a long-term target of 1,500.
Over the summer, 10 new stores are set to open around the country.
Jonathan Neale, the supermarket’s managing director of national real estate, said: “The response from the public has been invaluable in helping us identify where demand is greatest, and where we need to focus our efforts on finding the sites that can become new stores.”
