Supermarket retailer Aldi has revealed the locations of 15 new stores it plans to open across the UK by the end of this year.

With Christmas approaching, the firm has outlined its ambitious growth plans and this will involve expanding its network across England, Scotland and Wales.

The list includes two new London stores at Orpington and Cheam, while Staffordshire will also get two new outlets, at Tamworth and Biddulph. Other store openings in England include Windsor, Luton, Stamford, Poole and Bedlington.

New Scottish stores will appear at Govan in Glasgow, in Edinburgh, Hamilton and Cumnock, while the two new Welsh branches will appear in Llanelli and Neath.

The latest announcement is the continuation of a rapid increase in the retailer’s store coverage that saw new openings in Cheltenham, Portlethen and South Harrow last month, while the new store at Dalston in east London became its 50th in the capital.

Aldi will need to carry on expanding its use of store maintenance services, as the firm plans to establish 100 new stores across the UK over a two-year period. Each of them is expected to create around 30 new jobs.

Commenting on the news, Aldi’s national property director Ciaran Aldridge said: “There are still too many people for whom shopping at Aldi isn’t a convenient option.”

He added: “We’re committed to changing that and opening nearly four new stores a week before Christmas clearly demonstrates our progress with this.”

The retailer currently has over 930 UK stores.

While online shopping has penetrated the supermarket sector deeply it is evident that this has not prevented some popular stores from expanding even in a pandemic.

Other retailers that may be set for new investment and expansion could include Morrisons, following news of a proposed £7 billion takeover by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.

However, the takeover is the subject to the outcome of an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority over concerns about the implications of the American private equity firm controlling over 1,200 of the 8,000 garage forecourts on the UK.