SUPERMARKET firm Aldi, which is eyeing sites in Wellington as part of a £1.4 billion UK expansion, has moved a step closer to the town with the opening of its latest store on Thursday (October 26).

Doors to the Chip Lane store, close to Taunton School, were officially opened at 8 am when ParalympicsGB athlete Hannah Taunton performed a red ribbon cutting ceremony.

It is the newest Aldi to open in and around Taunton and will be run by store manager Jonny Deane and a team of 35 colleagues recruited locally.

Hannah, a ParalympicsGB bronze medallist in Tokyo 2020, gave complimentary bags of fresh fruit and vegetables from Aldi’s Super 6 range to the first 30 customers in the queue.

She will also deliver an inspirational assembly for pupils of North Town Primary School after the half-term break as part of Aldi’s ’Get Set to Eat Fresh’ initiative, which has already inspired more than two million children aged five to 14 years to learn more about the benefits of cooking fresh, healthy food with their families.

To celebrate the official partnership between Aldi and ParalympicsGB Hannah will focus on the benefits of eating healthy food and the importance of exercise and believing in yourself.

She will also talk to pupils about her experience of competing as a Paralympian and share her challenging training regime.

Aldi Chip Lane Taunton is also offering North Town pupils an opportunity to win a £20 gift voucher to spend at the new store.

Children were tasked with creating a poster to show what healthy eating means to them and Hannah Taunton will announce the winner during the assembly.

Aldi is Britain’s fourth largest supermarket chain with 1,000 stores and competes fiercely with fellow German discounters Lidl, which opened in Wellington in April this year.

The company has a long-term target of 1,500 stores in the UK and is on the hunt for more locations across the country, including in Wellington.

Mr Deane said: “It has been a wonderful morning here at the opening of Aldi Chip Lane Taunton.

“It was lovely to welcome our new customers into store, and I look forward to meeting more of the community in the coming weeks.

“I am also thrilled that we have been able to support North Town Primary School through our partnership with ParalympicsGB.”

Hannah said: “I have had a fantastic time opening the new Aldi.

“It was an honour to officially open the store and welcome customers inside for the first time.

“I am looking forward to speaking with the children at North Town about the importance of eating healthily and how it can be fun to plan and prepare meals as a family.

“Hopefully, I will inspire the pupils to keep active and try different sports.” 

The new Aldi store offers large chillers and freezers dedicated to fresh British meat products, a ‘Food to Go’ section at the front, and an exclusive section full of health and beauty products.

Customers can also take a walk down the ‘Aisle of Aldi’, where they will find legendary ‘Specialbuys’ available every Thursday and Sunday.

During opening week, the store is offering a range of DIY and home essentials, including an electric garden blower and vacuum for £34.99, a multifunctional rotating LED torch for £4.99, and a 4v rotary tool for £14.99.

Aldi is also calling on local charities and food banks in the area to register with Neighbourly, a community engagement platform which links businesses to charitable organisations in the local community.

Registered charities will be able to collect surplus food and perishable products, such as fruit, vegetables and baked goods, seven days a week.

Any charities in the area which want to partner with the new Aldi store should email [email protected].