Tag: Aldi

‘Kilted’ Kevin’s coming home for Christmas

The nation’s favourite root vegetable will don a kilt once again this year in celebration of Aldi’s ongoing partnership with Kiltwalk. Limited-edition ‘kilted’ Kevin the Carrot plush toy (£3.99) will be appearing in store from 6 December.   

Last year, Aldi launched a giant kilted Kevin the Carrot and this year, for the first time, Kevin will be available in a smaller size, standing approximately 25cm tall, wearing his official Kiltwalk tartan kilt. 

Aldi is Kiltwalk’s official ‘Supermarket Partner’ and in 2019 was responsible for fuelling over 20,000 Kiltwalkers across events in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Dumfries. This year, Aldi has continued their partnership with the Kiltwalk, by supporting their virtual events. 

Richard Holloway, Regional Managing Director for Scotland commented: “Kilted Kevin the Carrot proved to be hugely popular last Christmas and we wanted to make sure that he returned this year. 

“It has been a real shame that Kiltwalk events haven’t been able to take place physically this year, but thousands of people have still taken part in virtual events raising money for causes close to their hearts, and we wanted to do our part to help.” 

Aldi is donating £3,000 to Kiltwalk from the sale of the kilted Kevin.  The small kilted plush has already sold out online and sales will be limited to two per customer in store.  

Kiltwalk CEO, Paul Cooney, added: “Our Kiltwalkers usually love to meet ‘kilted’ Kevin the Carrot at our events but unfortunately that wasn’t possible this year, so I am sure they will be delighted to hear they can get their very own kilted Kevin for Christmas.   

“It’s been a very different year for us all, but despite the pandemic, Kiltwalkers raised £2.5 million this year which was doubled by Sir Tom Hunter; a total of £5 million for 906 Scottish charities. We are very grateful for the continued support from Aldi especially in these challenging times.” 

The partnership with Kiltwalk builds on Aldi’s commitment to supporting communities across Scotland. Since launching in 2016 the Aldi Scottish Sports Fund has supported 394 clubs across Scotland with funding of more than £190,000. Meanwhile, since July 2019 Aldi has helped over 200 charities provide over a million meals to vulnerable people across Scotland through its partnership with community engagement platform, Neighbourly. 

Kevin enthusiasts across the UK can also now take home the latest plush toy range, featuring Pilot Kevin, Wingman Turkey, Harry the Hedgehog and even Grate Grandma and Grandad (all £3.99 each).

The range also sees the return of the whole family, Katie the Carrot (£3.99) and Chantenay, Jasper (pictured) and Baby (£3.99). For an even bigger helping of carrots this Christmas, shoppers can also get their hands on Giant Kevin (£19.99), a festive favourite complete with a Christmas party hat.   

ALDI’S FESTIVE DRINKS RANGE RAISES THE BAR!

Aldi has revealed its 2020 Christmas drinks line up featuring a number of Scotland’s most loved distillers and brewers, and includes award-winning whiskies, craft gins, limited edition cocktails and festive-themed brews.  

Whether you are looking to top up your own drinks cabinet ahead of the festive season, or that special gift for friends and family, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for at your local Aldi.  

The Glen Marnoch Single Malt Whisky range starts at just £16.49 (70cl; 40%ABV) with customers able to select from the Highland, Islay or Speyside Single Malts. Alternatively, for a special treat that won’t blow the budget, why not try the recently crowned Scotch Whisky ‘Master’ award-winning Glen Marnoch 12 Year Old Speyside Single Malt (£20.99, 70cl, 40%ABV). 

With Scotland now almost as famous for making great gin as great whisky, it’s no surprise to see Aldi’s gin collection featuring some of Scotland’s most talented distillers.  

Eidyn Gin is developed exclusively for Aldi by The Old Curiosity Distillery in Edinburgh, and launched earlier this year. Priced at just £19.99 (70cl; 40% ABV) this premium London Dry style gin is already turning heads, picking up a silver at the Scottish Gin Awards this November. 

The Eden Mill Botanical Project Miniature Gift Set (4x5cl; £9.99) is the perfect stocking filler for gin lovers this Christmas. The set includes a range of flavours from the Eden Mill Botanical Project including Chilli & Ginger, Plum & Pink Grapefruit, Passionfruit & Coconut along with its Scottish Dry Gin. Each of these miniatures are also available in full size 70cl bottles priced at £15.99. 

Also from Eden Mill, the Botanical Project Mulled Gin (£15.99, 70cl) makes the perfect winter warmer with an initial hit of mulled fruit followed by a gentle spiced finish. 

Bringing the bubbles to the party, the Eden Mill Botanical Project cocktail range includes Blackcurrant & Rhubarb Gin with Ginger, Blueberry & Vanilla Gin with American Cream Soda and Baked Apple & Salted Caramel Gin with Cola all priced at £1.19 per can (250ml, 5% ABV). 

And Scotland’s brewers have certainly not been left out in the cold, with a range of seasonal brews to get beer lovers into the Christmas spirit, including Cairngorm Brewery’s Santa’s Sledgehammer (£1.69, 500ml, 5.6%ABV) and Orkney Brewery’s Clootie Dumpling (£1.69, 500ml, 4.3%ABV). The range also includes Edinburgh-based brewer Innis & Gunn (10 x 440ml, £10.12) and Clan Ales Barrel Aged Ales (4 x 330ml, £10.99) 

Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland said: “Scotland’s prodigious talent for brewing and distilling is recognised around the world, and with the range of exceptional Scottish beers and spirits on offer at Aldi this Christmas its clear to see why.

“We are proud to support our extremely talented and inventive Scottish brewers and distillers who have outdone themselves again with this fantastic line up of Scottish drinks perfect for the festive season.” 

The full festive drinks range is now on sale at all 95 Aldi stores across Scotland. 

Aldi’s Scottish-grown Nordman Fir Christmas trees are back

Aldi’s hand selected Nordman Fir Christmas trees, renowned for their big, bushy branches and fresh pine aroma, will return to stores across the UK tomorrow, with prices starting at only £14.99 for a medium tree (5-6ft) and £24.99 for a large tree (6-7ft). 

Grown and nurtured in the heart of Aberdeenshire for up to 10 years, each Aldi Christmas tree is hand selected to ensure the finest quality, and for every tree that is cut down, four more are planted in its place. 

The Nordman Fir is one of the most popular Christmas trees in the UK, favoured for its symmetrical shape and dark green needles that are soft yet strong enough to hold all your favourite decorations.   

This is the sixth year that Aldi has partnered with Lovania Nurseries, who will be supplying approximately 54,000 Nordman Firs in the lead up to the festive period.  

Lee Chambers, Head of Sales at Lovania Nurseries, said: “With its lush, dark green needles and perfect pyramid shape, the Nordman Fir is one of the most popular Christmas tree varieties. 

“They have a wide base, which is excellent for accommodating lots of presents, and their large, soft needles make them both pet and child friendly.  

“My top tip is that when you first take your Nordman Fir home, cut a few inches off the base of the trunk and place it in a bucket of water over night. Choose a cool spot with plenty of space, preferably away from radiators as this can dry the needles prematurely.

“Make sure your tree’s stand is kept topped up with fresh water and it will stay looking fresh and healthy throughout the festive season.” 

Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland, said: “Thanks to our long-standing relationship with Lovania Nurseries, Aldi customers will soon be able to pick up a real Nordman Fir Christmas tree at everyday low prices. 

“Each tree is hand picked by the experts at Lovania before being carefully wrapped and delivered to store, so that our customers can be sure they are buying a tree of the highest quality, with that nostalgic fresh pine scent that is so firmly associated with the festive season.” 

Aldi’s medium and large Nordman Fir Christmas trees go on sale in stores across the UK tomorrow (Thursday 26th November). You can find your nearest store here. 

Edinburgh Aldi store among first in Scotland to launch partnership with Deliveroo

Shoppers in Edinburgh can now have their favourite Aldi products delivered to their door in as little as 20 minutes as part of a new partnership with Deliveroo.

The Cameron Toll Aldi store is amongst the first in Scotland to trial the new service, which will offer local residents a selection of almost 400 Aldi products at their fingertips via the Deliveroo app. This will include a range of essential items, such as bread, milk and fresh produce, which will be picked and packed by Aldi colleagues for delivery by Deliveroo’s network of riders.

The new on-demand service has been introduced to offer customers greater flexibility and access to affordable Aldi groceries. 

The trial was initially launched at eight stores in England in May, and is now being extended to almost 130 stores across the UK, including in Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Perth.

Richard Thornton, Communications Director at Aldi UK, said: “The new trial with Deliveroo will provide more customers in Edinburgh with access to great quality food at Aldi’s unbeatable prices.

“This is an exciting venture for Aldi which provides a new way to serve our customers during these challenging times.”  

BrewDog’s tongue-in-cheek ALD IPA hits Aldi shelves

  • Supermarket Aldi launched BrewDog’s ‘ALD IPA’ in stores on 15th October
  • The brand was created during a Twitter exchange between the two companies after shoppers drew similarities between Aldi’s Anti-Establishment Beer and BrewDog’s Punk IPA
  • For every case bought, both BrewDog and Aldi will donate a tree to BrewDog’s Forest, supporting the brewer’s commitment to reducing carbon and fighting climate change

Craft beer fans will be heading to Aldi after the supermarket revealed it will be stocking ALD IPA, a beer born out of Twitter banter between best-selling independent brewer, BrewDog and the leading supermarket. No, you’re not reading that with your beer goggles on!

The eponymous beer was first created as a joke tweet after shoppers commented on the resemblance between Aldi’s Anti-Establishment beer and BrewDog’s popular Punk IPA. BrewDog initially suggested it would create ‘Yaldi IPA’ in a mocking social media post.

However, the supermarket, which is known for its ‘Like brands’ approach, responded with: ‘We would have gone with ALD IPA, send us a crate and we’ll talk…’[1] The crate must have done the trick, because now just two months on, what started as a spoof brand is being sold exclusively at Aldi stores!

The brew-tiful ALD IPA will be available as a Specialbuy from Thursday 15th October and is BrewDog’s first ever exclusive creation for a supermarket. A 4.7% session IPA, it is based on BrewDog’s beloved Hop Fiction recipe and will cost just £1.39 per can.

The humorous Twitter exchange that sparked the creation of this beer was followed with anticipation by tens of thousands of people[2]. As the conversation unraveled, it was decided that for every case sold, Aldi and BrewDog will each donate a tree to be planted in the BrewDog Forest located in the Scottish highlands. BrewDog announced earlier this year that it is now a ‘carbon negative’ business as it takes twice as much carbon out of the air as it emits.

Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director Aldi Scotland, says: “We couldn’t resist stocking ALD IPA, which supports our mission to work with the UK’s best independent suppliers.

“Plus, with customer enquiries through the roof after the conversation broke on Twitter – it really was a no brainer to give our shoppers what they want.”

James Watt, co-Founder of BrewDog comments: “Ald IPA has been one of our favourite collaborations to date, it’s definitely one no one saw coming! From a mockup on Twitter, to being stocked at Aldi stores across the UK, the response has been incredible. 

“Most importantly, both BrewDog and Aldi have agreed that for every case sold an extra tree will be planted in the BrewDog Forest. A win-win for our customers, and the planet!”

For those that fancy themselves a bit of a hop-head and want to get their hands on ALD IPA, head to Aldi stores now to pick up a can. Shoppers will need to get in there quick though – as with all Specialbuys, once they’re gone, they’re gone!

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.