The supermarket has now confirmed it will spend an estimated £23m in Lancashire over the next two years. In its annual trading update earlier this week, the UK’s fourth-largest supermarket said it planned to open 80 stores across 2026 and 2027 to meet the UK’s growing demand for affordable groceries. The £1.6bn investment will also go towards upgrades to new stores and the development of distribution centres. The investment will see Aldi bring new stores to Accrington and Burnley, while the supermarket has also stated that it is still looking for sites in Darwen, Heysham and Chorley to open new stores over the coming years. The retailer, which currently has 1,060 stores, has previously announced plans to scale to 1,500 stores across the UK. It said its expansion would create thousands of jobs and more opportunities for British suppliers. Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer for Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “Shoppers are still finding things difficult and that’s why we’re staying laser-focused on doing what Aldi does best - offering customers great quality products at unbeatable prices. "Since we opened our first UK store more than 35 years ago, we’ve brought high-quality, affordable groceries to almost 800 towns and cities, but there are hundreds more communities that don’t have an Aldi nearby. “We’re more determined than ever to meet that demand, and that’s why we’re investing a record £1.6bn over the next two years, to bring Aldi prices closer to millions more customers.”