Discount Retail Chain Aldi Poland wants to hire thousands of new employees and open more than 1,000 stores, which will be served by 6 modern logistics centres within the next 5 years. "Continuous development and customer and employee satisfaction are our motivation for the years to come," says Wojciech Łubieński, President of the Management Board of ALDI.
The German chain entered the market in 2008, opening its stores in Głogów, Żory, Tarnowskie Góry, Poznań, Bielsko-Biała and Jelenia Góra, among others. Currently, the chain is present in every Polish province, in 195 cities and has over 280 stores, and will end 2023 with over 300 stores. By 2028, ALDI wants to have 650 stores and 1,000 by the decade. Aldi is betting on a new urban format
It is worth noting that the chain focuses on the development of new formats 'ALDI City'. Stores in this format will soon open in Wrocław and in Marki near Warsaw. The format consists in the construction of a two-storey building, where there is a shop in one room and a parking lot for customers in the other.
"The past 15 years have seen the evolution of the discount format, of which ALDI is the creator on a European scale. Today, it is difficult to define a uniform model in Europe, more and more depends on local conditions," says Wojciech Łubieński. Milestones in our Polish history were the introduction of the ANIKO store design concept at ALDI, which was positively received by customers, as well as the latest 2.0 format. Further digitization, product range development and the construction of new stores and warehouses are ahead of us," adds the CEO of ALDI Poland.
When the ALDI brand entered the Polish market, the number of employees was approx. 300 people. In 2011, it was twice as much. The largest increase in the number of employees was recorded in 2015-2017 and 2021-2022. Today, ALDI's team in Poland consists of more than 4,600 employees, almost 80% of whom are women. The chain hires about 800 new employees annually.
At the beginning of 2008, the permanent assortment consisted of about 650 items. Today, more than 2,000 items are available in permanent ALDI stores, as well as more than 1,500 food and industrial items as part of weekly themed campaigns. About 65% of them are private label products. The chain also has its own brands in the non-food assortment, with a total of 27 brands. Over the next few years, own-brand products are expected to account for around 80% of ALDI's regular product range.
Private labels are number one Wojciech Łubieński, CEO of ALDI Poland, says that the chain is working on the development of its private label portfolio. "It is worth noting that at ALDI, we strongly support simplicity, which is expressed not only in the way we think and act, but above all in providing a simple, comfortable shopping experience, carefully and selectively selected assortment, high-quality own-brand products and low prices. This is our main goal, which we are striving to achieve successively and with great commitment from all teams," says Wojciech Łubieński, President of the Management Board of ALDI in Poland.
The region where the most shops are located is the south of Polish Silesian and Lower Silesian Voivodeships. Over the past two years, ALDI has opened more than 100 new stores. Expansion is a priority for ALDI, with the chain planning to have 650 stores across Poland in the five-year perspective and over a thousand stores in the ten-year period. For 14 years, the distribution centre in Chorzów served all stores. In September 2022, the chain opened a new warehouse located in Lisi Ogon near Bydgoszcz. The opening of the second ALDI warehouse was a natural result of the intensive expansion of the chain throughout Poland. In the next two years, it will open its third distribution centre, this time located in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship.
The discounter is also working on a new cash register system. This year, ALDI has invested in AI artificial intelligence for automating orders in stores and warehouses, as part of its digital transformation.
On the occasion of its 15th anniversary, the chain has prepared a catalogue dedicated to private labels, which includes the products most often chosen by customers during everyday shopping. The catalogue includes over 50 products, including the most popular Milk Chocolate with Whole Nuts by Chateau, Tandil laundry detergents, cold cuts by Wędliniarnia and many others. ALDI Poland is part of an international group with 110 years of tradition. Today, the ALDI North Group has 62 regional companies, 1,866 products in all markets, almost 5,300 stores in all countries, more than 92,000 employees and an 85% share of private labels in the product range.
