Aldi is set to shut one of its supermarkets next month with shoppers left gutted by its imminent closure.
The budget retailer will pull down the shutters on its Swanfield Place branch in Llanelli, Wales, on April 27. The next nearest Aldi is about 1.5miles away in Trostre Road. One devastated shopper said on Facebook: “Another great shop leaving our town, Aldi are closing there shop in Llanelli in April.
“It’s such a shame that Llanelli council won’t try to keep this shop in town. It now means that if we want to go to Aldi in the future it means a trek to Trostre.” Commenting on the next nearest store, one person replied: ”If you need a taxi it costs £6 down and £6 back.”
Councillor Sarah Evans told InYourArea: ”This is a hell of a blow to those who do not have a car in my ward who face a far longer journey to travel to do their weekly shop. In particular it will hit the elderly and the most vulnerable the hardest. Llanelli welcomed Aldi with open arms as it brought cheaper prices and competition to the other major supermarket chains.”
Councillor Shaun Greaney added: “People can ill-afford to lose this store. With rising energy prices, water bills, and a near 9% hike in council tax, this shop was a lifeline for those barely scraping by. I don’t know how people are going to manage now.”
Aldi has over 1,000 stores but has long-term plans to expand this to 1,500. Last June, the supermarket revealed a wish list of locations where it wants to open new stores – including London, Surrey, Hampshire, Manchester and Liverpool. Each site will accommodate a 20,000 sq ft store with around 100 parking spaces. Ideally, the location will be near a main road with good visibility and access.
The supermarket says it is also on the lookout for sites for more Aldi Local stores inside the M25, which are around 5,000 sq ft in size. It comes after Aldi revealed it is removing the protective sleeves over corks of its own brand wine to help reduce plastic waste. The packaging change will be rolled out by the end of 2025, following a successful trial in stores since March 2024.
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