Aldi’s £1.6bn commitment to British suppliers
This included £125m more spent on British meat, poultry and dairy farmers. The supermarket now sources 100% of its core range of fresh meat, eggs, butter, milk and cream from British suppliers.
Aldi UK chief executive Giles Hurley said: “We were the fastest-growing supermarket in the UK in 2021 and that has only been possible by working closely, over long periods, with hundreds of British suppliers.
British sourced products
“As we continue to grow, opening new stores across the UK, we are determined to ensure that the vast majority of our grocery products continue to come from British suppliers, just as they do now.”
Aldi reaffirmed its promise to prioritise home-grown suppliers as part of its commitment made a year ago to spend an additional £3.5bn a year with British businesses by the end of 2025.
Last summer also saw the retailer also launched its supplier development programme, ‘Grow with Aldi’, to offer British spirits producers the chance to see their product sold in Aldi stores nationwide.
Distribution deal
Herefordshire-based craft gin distillery Penrhos Gin took home the prize and is now stock in 900 Aldi stores and online.
Aldi is one of a number of retailers that have committed to sourcing British food for their stores.
In November, Morrisons revealed that more than 1,000 food and drink companies have applied to its Growing British Brands programme since its launch in May.
Meanwhile, Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) Mark White has launched an enquiry into food manufacturers’ relationships with large retailers, the ninth annual GCA Survey.
The survey will mark how well retailers are complying with the code, as well as identify areas where the GCA can press for improvements and highlight good practice.
