Tag: Aldi

Aldi is donating food to charities in Edinburgh and the Lothians over Christmas

Here’s how to apply …

Aldi is once again embracing the season of goodwill by calling on charities, community groups and food banks in Edinburgh and the Lothians to register now to receive surplus food donations this Christmas Eve.  

Last Christmas, Aldi donated nearly 48,000 meals to good causes throughout Scotland, and expects to increase this number for Christmas 2020. The meals will support those in need at a time when more households are experiencing financial hardship and food insecurity as a result of the pandemic.  

Thanks to Aldi’s successful partnership with Neighbourly, a community engagement platform that links businesses to food banks and charities, all of Aldi’s 92 Scottish stores now donate surplus food seven days a week, all year round.  

Christmas provides an opportunity for even more charities to benefit from the initiative, and any charities and community groups in Edinburgh and the Lothians with the resource to help can get in touch to register for a festive food donation from Britain’s fifth largest supermarket.  

Charities will be paired with local Aldi stores and can collect fresh and chilled food products that are near the end of their shelf life – including fruit, vegetables, fresh meat, fish and bread – ahead of stores closing on Christmas Eve.  

Luke Peech, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK, said: “Our Christmas food donations scheme plays a big role in supporting those in need during the festive period and is something we are very passionate about. This is our fourth year running the initiative and we look forward to working with local charities in Edinburgh and the Lothians once again.  

“Last year we were able to help thousands of people across Scotland, and this year we’re hoping to extend this even further in what has been a challenging year for so many.”  

Steve Butterworth from Neighbourly, added: “Sadly, charities and local causes are expecting record demand for their services this Christmas because of the pandemic and its impact on communities up and down the country. 

“We’re sure there are lots more groups out there that could put the food to good use, so we’d encourage them to get in touch.” 

Organisations do not need to be a registered charity to apply but must: 

  • Have a level two hygiene certificate gained in the last two years 
  • Be able to transport and store chilled food products after collecting them on Christmas Eve at 5pm 

Those interested in working with Aldi this Christmas should contact Neighbourly at aldichristmas@neighbourly before 7th December 2020. 

Aldi partners with The Old Curiosity Distillery to launch new premium gin

Aldi has partnered with Edinburgh-based The Old Curiosity Distillery to launch a new small-batch premium gin which will be available from all 92 Aldi stores across Scotland. 

The luxury spirit is set to delight aficionados across the country, who can now enjoy a deliciously pure, premium gin at the excellent price of just £19.99 (70cl, 40% ABV). 

Eidyn (pronounced ee-din), named after the Scottish Gaelic for Edinburgh, has been developed exclusively for Aldi by The Old Curiosity Distillery, which is nestled in the lowlands below the Pentland Hills, just to the south of Edinburgh.  

Famed for its captivating ‘Secret Garden’, home to over a thousand juniper bushes and more than five hundred different botanicals, The Old Curiosity Distillery was founded by renowned Scottish herbologist Hamish Martin.

The distillery uses a base spirit, which is then carefully blended with botanicals that are grown, picked and dried by hand, from their Secret Herb Garden, to create this outstanding natural product. 

The exceptional quality and purity of this gin will shine through and is best served with a light tonic, a slice of lemon and a sprig of lemon thyme.

Eidyn has been lovingly blended with lemon thyme and lemon balm botanicals which produce fresh citrus notes followed by a crisp juniper finish. The stunning bottle, sure to take pride of place in any gin lover’s collection, features a striking turquoise and gold label, with the clear glass bottle etched with key herbs and botanicals featured in the liquid. 

Hamish Martin, Director at The Old Curiosity Distillery, commented: “We’re thrilled to be working with Aldi to create a new and truly unique, premium gin. We are a family business and we put our passion and love into everything that we do, and we believe that comes through in the quality of the products that we create”.

“What makes Eidyn so special is the unique blend of fresh lemon thyme and dried lemon balm, juniper, angelica, winter savory and coriander, all of which are grown right here in our Secret Herb Garden using no chemicals what-so-ever to ensure the true essence of these fantastic botanicals are infused into every bottle”.

“I love growing the botanics with all my heart, and I’ve loved creating this new gin for Aldi. I truly hope their customers enjoy it.”

Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland said: “It has been a long-term ambition of ours to partner with a leading Scottish distillery to develop a new, premium gin that will form part of our core range across Scotland. 

“We are extremely proud to launch Eidyn Gin, which we know can happily hold its own amongst the leading gins across the country, while carrying an exceptionally competitive price. It’s been a real privilege working alongside The Old Curiosity Gin on this project, and witness the skill, care and passion that has gone into crafting this delicious gin.” 

Eidyn perfect serves

G&T

– 50ml Eidyn Gin

– Low sugar tonic

Garnish:  lemon slice and lemon thyme

Cocktail: ‘The South Eidyn Fizz’

– 50ml Eidyn Gin

– 25ml fresh lemon juice

– 12.5ml Elderflower cordial

– Club soda

– 8 mint leaves

Method:  Place the mint leaves in the bottom of the shaker and lightly muddle. Add the gin, lemon juice and Elderflower cordial into the shaker and shake for 10 seconds until chilled. Double strain the liquid into a highball glass over cubed ice and garnish with mint sprig.

Aldi provides face masks for all store colleagues

Aldi will be providing the option of face masks to all its store-based colleagues to further support their safety as they continue to feed the nation.

This move is in addition to the previously announced provision of gloves and clear screens that are being installed at more than 7,000 checkouts. Colleagues can also now access the Government’s Covid-19 testing programme for critical workers.

Support for vulnerable and self-isolating customers

Aldi has also introduced a voucher scheme to make it easier for volunteers to buy food on behalf of the vulnerable and those self-isolating. The vouchers are available to buy on a new Aldi voucher website vouchers.aldi.co.uk.

Once purchased, the vouchers can be posted to any address in the UK so they can be given to volunteers, friends or family members to shop on behalf of vulnerable people.

Vouchers are available in denominations of £5.00 and £10.00 with no additional costs to customers for postage.

Additional support for British producers

Aldi has agreed to buy additional volumes of British beef to support farmers faced with surplus product due to closures of restaurants and catering businesses.

It is selling 21-day matured British rump steak (£8.99, 900g) as a Specialbuy across its 877 UK stores.

Aldi is the UK’s fastest-growing fresh meat retailer and has reaffirmed its commitment to support the beef farming sector by spot buying additional volume where possible. The current Specialbuy alone consists of over 130,000 British rump steaks.

It is also helping horticultural suppliers by increasing orders of Spring plants that would otherwise be disposed of because of the closure of their normal routes to market.

Aldi has agreed to sell over 200,000 Spring Perennials from its long-term partner Lovania Nurseries, who have worked with Aldi for over 20 years.

Lovania have also benefitted from Aldi’s small supplier payment scheme, which was recently extended to guarantee immediate payments for all suppliers with a turnover of less than £1m. This is benefitting over 3,000 Aldi suppliers during this difficult period.

‘Berry’ good news as Aldi’s first Scottish strawberries hit the shelves

Punnets of the first Scottish strawberries of the season are making their way to Aldi stores across Scotland today, making spring that bit sweeter.

Aldi’s first pick Scottish strawberries were grown by Tim Stockwell at Barnsmuir Farm in Fife for Angus Soft Fruits, which supplies Aldi stores across Scotland with fresh berries from 18 other growers based across Tayside and Fife, the heart of the traditional Scottish berry growing region.

Tim commented: “It is exciting to be sending the first Scottish strawberries of the season to Aldi as we celebrate the new harvest.

“As with countless other businesses, we too are facing difficulties as a result of the coronavirus lockdown, but we’re all pulling together and this year more than ever, it certainly feels like a real achievement to be able to supply Aldi customers with the first punnets from this year’s first crop of Scottish strawberries.”

Aldi is committed to supporting its Scottish suppliers and has been working with Angus Soft Fruits to ensure Scottish-grown strawberries will be readily available in stores this spring and summer.

Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland said: “The arrival of the Scottish strawberry season is always welcomed by our customers, and we’re pleased to be the first supermarket to offer Scottish strawberries this year.

“In the current climate it is more important than ever for us to support our network of Scottish suppliers, who work day in, day out to deliver top quality produce for our customers. We know that times are hard, but with Scottish strawberries renowned for their taste and quality, we hope the arrival of the first crop will bring some happiness and the early taste of summer to our customers.”

 Aldi stores in Scotland will be stocking first pick Scottish strawberries from today (Wednesday 15th April), with availability increasing throughout spring.

Aldi takes the lid off

Aldi is removing all plastic lids on its own-label fresh and cultured cream products and ready-to-drink coffee products, as part of its ongoing campaign to reduce single-use plastics.

From March, Scotland’s fourth largest volume retailer will stock these products without unnecessary plastic lids in its 91 Scottish stores.

This initiative will remove over three million pieces of single-use plastic from the market.

In addition to this, Aldi will trial the removal of plastic lids from its large Greek-style flavoured yogurt pots in England and Wales. If successful, this will be rolled out across all 500g yogurt pots, eliminating a further 34 million pieces of plastic across the UK.

These moves are the supermarket’s latest steps to scrap unnecessary plastic as it works towards reducing plastic packaging by 25% by the end of 2023.

Fritz Walleczek, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi, said: “We are committed to cutting the amount of plastic that Aldi and our customers use, particularly unnecessary, single-use plastic like secondary lids.

“Every step like this brings us closer to our target of reducing the amount of plastic we use in packaging by 25%.”

Aldi is on track to have all own-label packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022. Since 2018, it has removed more than 2,200 tonnes of plastic and replaced almost 3,000 tonnes of unrecyclable material with recyclable alternatives.

For several years Aldi has led the way with local sourcing and the retailer has built strong relationships with over 90 Scottish suppliers.

Last year, the supermarket was crowned Scottish Sourcing Business of the Year at the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards. To aid Aldi’s expanding footprint in Scotland, the supermarket has invested in a new £25 million freezer and chill facility in Bathgate, which will be operational in spring this year.

Aldi invests over £10,000 in local sports clubs

Twenty sports clubs across the Lothians and the Scottish Borders have benefitted from a share of £10,000 from Aldi as part of the supermarket’s Scottish Sport Fund.

Aldi’s Scottish Sport Fund is an initiative that aims to help people of all ages take part in physical activity within their local communities by giving clubs the chance to secure up to £500 funding. Since launching in 2016, over 394 clubs across Scotland have benefitted from a funding boost of more than £190,000, helping to improve community access to sports across the country.

Last year, sports clubs such as Watsonians Ladies Rugby, Bathgate Amateur Swim Club, Lennel Lawn Tennis Club and Leith Community Archers each received £500 from Aldi’s Scottish Sport Fund. Applications were submitted from across the Lothians and the Scottish Borders and a judging panel from Aldi was given the tough job of reviewing the submissions and selecting the beneficiaries.

Leith Community Archers, a charity run by local volunteers that promotes sport recreation and community bonding through archery, has used their funding to purchase new bows that have been specially modified for wheelchair users.

George Fyvie, a volunteer at Leith Community Archers, said: “Several of our members are wheelchair users, and until recently we only had one modified bow available to use. Thanks to Aldi’s Scottish Sport Fund, we now have three new, specially made bows, meaning more of our members can take part.

“Aldi’s Scottish Sport Fund is a fantastic initiative and an incredibly valuable source of funding for clubs like ours that rely on donations and volunteers. On behalf of everyone at Leith Community Archers, I’d like to thank Aldi for their support.”

Aldi’s Scottish Sport Fund is open to any sporting organisation in Scotland that meets the application criteria, from rugby clubs to after school groups and everything in between. Groups can apply for funding for a wide range of purposes, including new strips and equipment or facility fees and coaching.

Meanwhile, four schools across Scotland each recently won £20,000 to spend on new equipment as part of the supermarket’s Kits For Schools initiative, which aims to provide pupils with a range of exciting new sporting opportunities ahead of Tokyo 2020.

Richard Holloway, Regional Managing Director for Aldi Scotland, said: “Aldi’s Scottish Sport Fund is part of our wider commitment to help cultivate a healthier, happier Scotland whilst encouraging people to lead more active lifestyles in the long run.

“It’s extremely heartening to see the difference the funding can make to clubs such as Leith Community Archers, and in turn improve the lives of people in their local communities.

“There are so many fantastic sports initiatives across the country, many of which are run by volunteers, and we hope to be able to help even more of them as we look ahead to re-launching the fund for its fifth year.”

Aldi’s Scottish Sport Fund is part of the retailer’s wider commitment to help cultivate a healthier Scotland, including weekly Super 6 fruit and veg deals, a pledge to reduce salt levels in products in line with Government targets, and replacing confectionery, chocolate and sweets at tills with dried fruit, nuts and water.

For more information about Aldi’s Scottish Sport Fund please visit: www.aldi.co.uk/scottishsportfund

Aldi addresses the haggis with Simon Howie this Burns Night

Aldi customers can now pick up their Burns Night favourites produced by one Scotland’s top meat suppliers, Simon Howie, in all 91 stores across Scotland. Continue reading Aldi addresses the haggis with Simon Howie this Burns Night

Aldi to open new store in Leith

Aldi has revealed plans to open six new stores in Scotland this year as part of their scontinued investment and expansion across the UK – and one of them’s in Leith.

The new stores scheduled to open over the next 12 months will be Crown Street in Glasgow, Commercial Street in Edinburgh, Rigg Street in Stewarton, Houstoun Road in Livingston, Gallowgate in Parkhead, and Gateside Commercial Park in Haddington.

It comes as Aldi announces its £25 million storage and chill facility in Bathgate will be fully operational by the end of April.

The store openings and new chill facility will create an additional 200 jobs, taking the total number of staff employed by the retailer in Scotland to 2800 by the end of 2020.

Aldi’s Project Fresh programme will also continue next year and will see investment in a further six store upgrades offering customers an enhanced shopping experience.

Last year marked the 25th anniversary of Aldi opening its first store in Scotland and the 10th anniversary of the creation of its dedicated Scottish Buying Department. As part of the supermarket’s anniversary celebrations, Aldi became Kiltwalk’s official ‘Supermarket Partner’ for 2019. The retailer has confirmed it will continue to support Kiltwalk in 2020 fuelling thousands of Kiltwalkers across all four events in Scotland.

Richard Holloway, Regional Managing Director for Scotland said: “This is an exciting time for Aldi as we look ahead to 2020 and plan for the next 25 years in Scotland.

“Our new state-of-the-art storage and chill facility will be fully operational by the end of April, which will aid our expansion across Scotland while allowing us to increase the range of Scottish products available on our shelves.

“For several years Aldi has led the way with local sourcing, and we see Scotland as a key area of growth for the business. We’re proud to have reached our ambition to stock over 450 Scottish products significantly ahead of our target of the end of 2020, and we will continue to work in partnership with our local suppliers to increase this to over 500 locally sourced products in the next two years.

“With six new stores planned for next year and a further six being refreshed and upgraded, we’re looking forward to serving even more local communities and expanding our market share even further.

“We’re also very much looking forward to continuing our relationship with Kiltwalk and fuelling even more Kiltwalkers next year. It’s been fantastic to be involved with such an ambitious and forward-thinking charity and we’re looking forward to supplying our energy boosting snacks to participants at next year’s events.

“Hopefully Kevin the Carrot will make an appearance again as well!”

In May 2019, Aldi was crowned Scottish Sourcing Business of the Year at the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards, demonstrating the supermarket’s commitment to its Scottish suppliers and to offering the finest quality, locally sourced produce at everyday low prices.