Aldi is to create more than 1,200 new jobs before the end of the year as it presses ahead with ambitious expansion plans despite the coronavirus crisis. 

The discounter, which already operates almost 900 UK stores, wants to open an average of one new store every week between now and Christmas.

Each new store will create an average of 30 new jobs each. 

Aldi has already hired 2,800 new permanent staff this year, meaning it will create 4,000 new jobs across 2020 as a whole. 

It also drafted in thousands of temporary workers at the peak of the pandemic, as grocers raced to cope with spikes in demand. 

Aldi is targeting locations including Bristol and Edinburgh as part of a blueprint to reach 1,200 UK stores by 2025. 

Aldi’s UK boss Giles Hurley said: “As much as the disruption of the past few months has been challenging, it has also reminded us that there are still hundreds of towns across the UK where shoppers don’t have access to Aldi’s award-winning quality products and unbeatable prices.

“I’ve been very proud of the tireless work my colleagues have put into feeding the nation. To continue doing this and meet our goals of making Aldi accessible to even more shoppers, we will need thousands more amazing colleagues across the country.”