David Cameron and George Osborne give Aldi thumbs up after 35,000 jobs pledge

It's not just bargain hunting shoppers and those looking for the best tipple who love Aldi – now the Prime Minister and chancellor have told the world of their love for the German grocer. 

 

David Cameron and George Osborne today welcomed the news that Aldi has pledged to create 35,000 new jobs in the next eight years, saying it was an endorsement of the Conservative party's policies. 

 

The jobs have been promised as part of the German grocer's expansion plans in the UK, which will see it up the UK's total store count from 531 to 1,000 by 2022. The expansion plans have already been unveiled, but this is the first time it has revealed the full impact it will have on employment. 

 

The discounter is investing £600m in its UK expansion, doubling its workforce over the next eight years. It will also create at least one apprenticeship position per store every year. 

 

The new jobs will include a range of management roles, both in-store and within Aldi’s offices, as well as in-store and regional distribution centre roles. 

 

Apprentice training and development will be supported by a new 'Apprenticeship Academy' located at Aldi’s offices and distribution centre in Bolton, which is due to open in March 2015.

 

The UK's unmployment figures are still coming down and have now reached pre-recession levels. Last month they dropped to six per cent, equivalent to 154,000 people, which was a better than expected level, according to the Office for National Statistics.

 

However there are still 1.97m people “seeking and available” people who were out of work. 

 

Both Cameron and Osborne took the opportunity to note that Aldi's expansion was a sign of confidence in their “long-term economic plan”. 

 

It would also mean “more financial security for hardworking families and opportunities for young people who want to get on in life," Cameron added. 

 

Chancellor George Osborne said: “It is fantastic to see great success stories like Aldi creating jobs and increasing opportunities for young people.” 

 

Aldi has been making in-roads into the UK's supermarket sector in the past year, and now accounts for 4.8 per cent of total spend, having grown just over 29 per cent year-on-year.

 

Along with Lidl, Aldi has been partially cited as the cause of one of the highest rate of deflation the sector has experienced since records began.