Aldi is set to open seven new stores in the next four weeks, which will create up to 210 jobs, with all seven in England and up to 30 roles available at each site. The first store opens in Basildon, Essex, on 12 November, and the last group opens on 26 November. For Metaintro readers in Essex, Derbyshire, Hampshire, Greater Manchester, London and the Isle of Wight, this guide covers each store date, what Store Assistants, Stock Assistants and Deputy Store Managers are paid and how Aldi hires.
Where Are Aldi's Seven New Stores and When Do They Open?
The stores open across England throughout November, including two new locations in London.
- Basildon, Essex, on November 12.
- Newport, Isle of Wight, on November 19.
- Matlock, Derbyshire, on November 19.
- Stepney Green, London, on 19 November or 26 November, as the two reports differ.
- Willesden, London, on November 26.
- Orrell, Wigan, on November 26.
- Waterlooville, Hampshire, on November 26.
All seven towns were already on Aldi's 2 October list of stores opening before Christmas. Basildon is listed for November 2026 on Aldi's new-stores list, with Stepney Green, Matlock and Elettra Avenue in Waterlooville listed for 2026.
How Many Jobs Will Each New Aldi Store Create?
The jobs total is a ceiling, not a guaranteed headcount. At an established Aldi, staff normally work with between 25 and 60 colleagues, depending on store size. Aldi runs with fewer Store Assistants than most supermarkets, partly because of the efficient way it works. Compared with other supermarkets, Aldi's teams are smaller and the job involves a much wider range of activities.
New starters get a structured training programme that normally lasts around 6 weeks, learning from experienced colleagues alongside the CheckPoints structured training programme and E-Learning Portal. Where possible, staff are trained in their local area, with the Store Manager and Assistant Store Manager closely involved. Trainees get constant feedback on their performance from the Store Manager and Area Manager and can offer their own view on their development.
Aldi's store roles are Store Manager, Assistant Store Manager, Deputy Store Manager, Store Assistant, Stock Assistant, Store Cleaner and a Stores Apprenticeship.
Demand for new Aldi stores remains strong, and we want more shoppers to be able to enjoy our high-quality products at low prices. Opening seven stores in November is another big step in our growth plans. It will create hundreds of local jobs and bring Aldi’s value to thousands more shoppers across the country, Jonathan Neale, managing director of national real estate at Aldi UK, said, according to the Grimsby Live report.
What Does Aldi Pay a Store Assistant per Hour?
A Store Assistant gets £13.50 p/h rising to £14.47 p/h (about $18.02 rising to $19.32), and in London the rate is £14.88 p/h rising to £15.20 p/h (about $19.87 rising to $20.29). The higher step comes with length of service.
These rates took effect in April 2026 and covered over 28,000 hourly-paid store colleagues. The London rate applies inside the M25.
The April rise was the second pay rise for Aldi teams this year. In January Aldi had moved Store Assistants to £13.35 an hour nationally (and up to £14.30 with service) and £14.71 within the M25 (rising to £15.03 with service) (about $17.82, $19.09, $19.64 and $20.07), effective from March 2026. Both moves together formed a £42 million investment in colleague pay (about $56 million) in 2026, and the same January announcement extended maternity pay to 26 weeks at full pay.
What Do Deputy Store Managers and Stock Assistants Earn?
Deputy Store Managers sit one step up. The role pays £14.75 p/h rising to £15.72 p/h, plus an additional £4.00 p/h whilst running the store (about $19.69 rising to $20.99, plus about $5.34). In London the role pays £16.13 p/h rising to £16.45 p/h (about $21.54 rising to $21.96).
A deputy works closely with the Store Manager and Assistant Store Manager and deputises when they are away. Deputies who really excel could progress to Assistant Store Manager, or even become a Deputy Store Manager Trainer, and Store Assistants who really excel could progress to a Deputy Store Manager.
Stock Assistant tasks are to keep stock losses to a minimum, help out with inventory counting, check off deliveries and ensure the shelves are fully stocked. On Aldi's current Stock Assistant page, the role pays £13.12 an hour, or £14.81 in London (about $17.52 and $19.77). Applicants need to be comfortable with numbers, with a friendly personality, a get-on-with-it attitude and a passion for the business.
Store Assistants who work nights receive a premium rate and 50% additional pay for any hours worked on bank holidays, and Stock Assistants who work nights get the same terms.
How Does Aldi's Pay Compare With the UK Minimum Wage?
The legal floor for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour from April 2026 (about $16.97). The rates change on 1 April every year.
Aldi's Store Assistant entry rate is above that National Living Wage floor. A year earlier, from April 2025 to March 2026, the National Living Wage was £12.21 (about $16.30).
By its own account, Aldi is the UK's highest-paying supermarket, with new rates that exceed those of all other competitors, a claim job seekers can weigh against other UK retail pay such as the Boots Christmas listings.
What Benefits Come With an Aldi Store Job?
By its own account, Aldi is the only retailer to offer paid breaks to all colleagues, which is worth an extra £1,500 a year to the average store colleague (about $2,003). In practice, a colleague on a 6-hour shift with a 20 minute break is paid for the full 6 hours at Aldi, where other employers would pay 5.67 hours for the 6-hour shift.
Other benefits include:
- 28 days annual leave, which includes bank holidays
- sick pay, recognition at long service awards, and maternity, paternity and adoption leave after 1 year
- a discounted health cash plan, gym membership discounts, discounted cinema tickets and money off holidays
- an online wellness portal and a 24/7 employee assistant programme
All UK Aldi stores will close on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, before welcoming customers back on Sunday 27th December 2026, and they also close on New Year's Day, reopening on Saturday 2nd January 2027. Opening times will vary locally in the days before Christmas, with many stores extending their hours to help customers pick up everything they need for the festive period.
How Do You Apply for a Job at a New Aldi Store?
Applications go through Aldi's recruitment site, and each role page lets you find all the vacancies near you. The Store Assistant process has up to three steps:
- an online application/CV upload with questions such as what hours you are looking for, after which hiring managers will screen your answers
- an interview or assessment, which might involve a short video interview followed by a group or individual interview with an Area Manager
- the Aldi store experience, which you might be invited to after a successful interview, where you observe the tasks you would be expected to do in the role
Contracts are flexible. Usual contracted hours are around 25 hours a week, but can vary from 10-40, with a mixture of shifts available. The Store Manager draws up the rota 4 weeks in advance, and work patterns reflect the needs of the store. Stock Assistant contracts start from a minimum 10 hours a week.
You do not necessarily need your own transport, though public transport may not always be reliable or convenient, and it is a big help if you can provide cover in other local stores. Store staff are on the payroll, because Aldi employees are not and have never been classed as self employed, so they do not pay their own tax and national insurance. Applicants are welcome to use AI tools to prepare for an interview, but Aldi wants to hear your own voice, ideas and experiences rather than what AI suggests.
Aldi never charges fees or asks for personal data, like bank details, at any stage of its recruitment or onboarding process. Anyone who claims to represent Aldi in exchange for money or bank details is running a scam.
Aldi looks for a friendly attitude, multi-tasking skills, the ability to work in a team and great customer service in its store staff.
How Do the November Openings Fit Aldi's Wider Expansion Plan?
The seven stores form part of Aldi's £370 million investment in its UK estate this year (about $494 million). In January the supermarket was targeting 40 new store openings this year as part of a £1.6 billion two-year investment programme (about $2.14 billion).
The pre-Christmas push is bigger than November alone. On 2 October Aldi, which then had 1,092 stores, set out plans to open or relocate nearly 30 stores over the next 10 weeks, with stores in Sudbury, Sutton Coldfield and Wigan relocating before the end of the year. That list also named Dumbarton in West Dunbartonshire and Newport in South Wales, so the wider programme reaches beyond England even though the seven November stores do not. That pre-Christmas programme covers 24 new stores before Christmas, alongside relocating three existing branches, as Aldi continues to target underserved areas of the UK.
Next year is larger again. Aldi plans a record £900m investment in new stores and distribution centres (about $1.2 billion) that will include 40 new stores. Group turnover rose 5% to a record £19bn (about $25.4 billion) across the UK and Ireland in the 12 months to 31 December 2025, while operating profit was flat at £432.9m (about $578 million). Profit held flat as Aldi continued to invest in prices, infrastructure and colleague pay.
Aldi employed more than 45,000 colleagues across the UK in February, and on top of the new-store budget it is investing an additional £300 million in upgrading and extending existing stores (about $401 million). Aldi is the UK's fourth largest supermarket chain, with a 10.5% share of the grocery market, and Lidl is fifth with 8.6%, based on Worldpanel by Numerator data.
Rival Lidl plans new permanent jobs in Munster in Ireland, tied to new stores and a Cork warehouse.
What Do the New Competition Rules Mean for Aldi's Store Openings?
On 22 October the Competition and Markets Authority decided that Aldi, Lidl GB and Lidl NI will be designated as Large Grocery Retailers under the Groceries Market Investigation (Controlled Land) Order 2010. That order has applied to Asda, Co-op, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose since 2010.
The rules are designed to stop large chains from using land agreements to make it harder for rival supermarkets to open nearby, in particular through restrictive covenants and exclusivity arrangements. Once designated, a retailer cannot include any prohibited restrictions in new agreements, and existing agreements can be reviewed by the CMA at the request of landowners, developers and rival supermarkets.
In August the CMA invited views on its proposal to designate the two discounters. Morrisons, Waitrose and Iceland submitted their views, and all supported the proposal, while the CMA did not receive representations from Aldi, Lidl GB or Lidl NI.
The CMA’s decision does not change our commitment to invest in the UK and work towards our long-term ambition of 1,500 stores, bringing high-quality, affordable food to more communities, while ensuring that we comply with any relevant obligations under the Controlled Land Order, an Aldi spokeswoman said, according to the Grimsby Live report.
Lidl's position is that the decision will not affect its steadfast momentum and growth. The rules are meant to ensure shoppers have more choice about where to buy, and the UK food and grocery market is worth an estimated £222.7 billion (about $297 billion).
What This Means for Job Seekers in England, and What Should You Do Next?
Aldi is always on the lookout for new store colleagues, not only when a new store opens.
- Check the store nearest you now. Search for your nearest store role on Aldi's stores careers page.
- Prepare for scenario questions. The interview asks questions and scenarios relating to the job role you have applied for, so practise answers about busy tills and stock deliveries.
Our take is that seven stores will not move the UK jobs market on their own. For someone living near one of these towns, though, each store is a local employer that prints its pay in advance, from the Store Assistant rate above the National Living Wage to a deputy role with a route into management, and that makes it easy to judge whether the job is worth the commute.
Lacey Kaelani, Metaintro's CEO, puts it this way: A new store has to have its team in place before the doors open, so apply as soon as the role appears. Treat the opening date as your deadline, not your start date.
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People Also Asked
Q: Where are the new Aldi stores opening in November?
A: Aldi's November stores are in Basildon, Newport on the Isle of Wight, Matlock, Stepney Green, Willesden, Orrell in Wigan and Waterlooville, with the first opening on 12 November and the last group on 26 November.
Q: How much does Aldi pay a Store Assistant in the UK?
A: A Store Assistant earns £13.50 p/h rising to £14.47 p/h, or £14.88 rising to £15.20 in London, which is about $18.02 to $19.32 nationally and $19.87 to $20.29 in London.
Q: How many jobs will the new Aldi stores create?
A: The seven stores will create up to 210 jobs, with up to 30 roles available at each site, in seven towns across England.
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