Tag: Aldi

Starts today: Aldi Spring Beer Festival

The 26th in-store festival brings together eleven of Scotland’s best breweries 

Aldi has revealed the line-up for its 26th Scottish Beer Festival, which will showcase 25 craft beers from eleven breweries across the country, including several retail exclusives.  

Kicking off in-store today, Thursday 28th April, the festival will take place across all of Aldi’s 101 Scottish stores in a deal worth over £86,000 to the breweries involved, with prices starting at just £1.49.  

Aldi’s Scottish Beer Festival is known for celebrating the vast range of beers, lagers and ales brewed across all corners of Scotland. This spring’s festival will give customers the chance to try everything from tropical pilsners to spicy sour ales and vanilla porters to crisp IPAs. 

As part of the in-store activation, Aldi shoppers will have the chance to try a range of award-winning craft beers from Aberdeen-based Fierce Beer, which was recently crowned Scottish Brewery of the Year at the 2021 Scottish Beer Awards.  

The multi-award-winning brewery took home 11 medals for its unique concoctions and will feature five of its brews in Aldi’s festival line-up. Its gold medal-winning Café Racer Coffee & Vanilla Porter, which is fuelled with locally roasted Sumatran espresso coffee and Madagascan Vanilla, is just one of the brewery’s quirky beers that customers can enjoy at everyday Aldi prices.  

This spring’s line-up will also feature Edinburgh-based Stewart Brewing’s Ka Pai South Pacific Pale Ale. The light-bodied brew, which balances notes of passion fruit, mango, and lychee, will be stocked as an exclusive to Aldi Scotland. The popular beer also took home a gold award at the 2021 Scottish Beer Awards for Best Pale Ale.  

Peterhead-based Brew Toon Beers will also be included in Aldi’s Spring festival. Customers have the chance to try the brewery’s J’Ale Riot Red Ale, which has a strong caramel and biscuit nose with a hoppy full-strength punch, and their Pineapple Pils Tropical Pilsner, a blend of crisp malts combined with fresh pineapples and tropical hops. 

Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland, said: “Our Scottish Beer Festivals always prove popular with our customers.

“The craft beer industry continues to thrive in Scotland, and I am proud that the relationships we have built with local breweries over the years mean our customers can enjoy a variety of unique brews at everyday amazing Aldi prices. There really is something for everyone to enjoy.” 

Celebrating the 10th year of Scottish Beer Festivals, products will be available in store from 28 April. Visit aldi.co.uk/scottishbeerfestival to find out more.

You can find you nearest Aldi here.  

Aldi donates 5,089 meals to Edinburgh and Lothian charities over the Easter school holidays

Aldi helped local charities in Edinburgh and the Lothians provide 5,089 meals to people in need over the Easter school holidays. 

The supermarket paired its stores up with local charities, community groups and food banks to donate surplus food, making the most of unsold fresh and chilled food throughout the Easter period. 

Around 105 tonnes of food were donated throughout the UK, with more than 187,000 meals going to causes focused on supporting families and children.  

The donations followed research from Aldi and community-giving platform Neighbourly which found that 98% of food banks in Scotland have seen demand soar since the start of the year. 

Neighbourly recently polled more than 700 food banks and community causes nationwide and found that an estimated 30% of people using these services in Scotland in recent months have been new to the food banks. 

On average, food banks in the region reported an average rise in demand of around 28% for their services so far this year, with expectations of further increases of around 29% in the next three months as higher energy bills and an increase in national insurance contributions add to the pressure.  

Liz Fox, Corporate Responsibility Director at Aldi UK, said: “The school holidays can be a busy time for the local charities and organisations we support, but, especially in the current climate, food banks are experiencing even greater demand than usual.  

“We’re proud to support so many good causes in Edinburgh and the Lothians, helping them to provide meals to those in need over the recent school holidays.” 

Steve Butterworth, from Neighbourly, added: “The findings of our latest survey highlight that the cost-of-living crisis is clearly deepening, with families and households up and down the country really starting to feel the pinch and turning to charities and local causes for support as a result.  

“During what is a hard time for everyone, anything people can do to give back in the coming weeks will make all the difference.” 

Aldi has community donation points in stores nationwide to help those in need, and is encouraging customers to help in any way they can.

According to its poll with Neighbourly, products that are most in demand at local community groups include tinned food, tea and coffee, UHT milk, toiletries, and household cleaning products. 

Aldi’s charity Sock Boxes success

Aldi customers have generously donated over 1200 pairs of unused socks to the supermarket’s charity appeal   

Aldi shoppers have donated over 1200 pairs of new and unused socks to support some of Scotland’s most vulnerable people as part of the supermarket’s ‘Not Socks Again’ appeal. 

The campaign, which supported the vital work of three charities, Simon Community Scotland, Bethany Christian Trust and Aberlour Children’s Charity, called for Aldi customers to drop off any new and unwanted socks they received over the Christmas period. 

Sock amnesty boxes were placed in all Aldi Scotland stores during the month of January, allowing generous Scots to donate their new and unused socks to those in need. 

In addition, Aldi Scotland matched the kindness of their shoppers by gifting £250 to each participating charity partner.   

One of Scotland’s leading homeless charities, Simon Community Scotland, has spoken of their delight at how generous Aldi customers have been and how much the donations mean to the people they support.  

Ashley Young, Head of Services at Simon Community Scotland, said: “We would like to thank everyone who generously donated their socks, and our thanks also goes out to Aldi for their very kind cash donation.

“Our Street Teams will distribute these socks over the coming weeks, and they will bring comfort and warmth to those who need it most.” 

Richard Holloway, Regional Managing Director for Scotland, commented: “A massive thank you to all of our customers who took the time to drop off their new and unused socks.

“This has been the second year we have run the campaign and are delighted to be able to support the great work these charities do within the local community.”    

Aldi is committed to supporting communities across Scotland. Since July 2019, Aldi has donated more than 23 million meals to families in need through their Neighbourly partnership, and since partnering with Teenage Cancer Trust in January 2017, over £6 million has been raised to help young people with cancer.     

Meanwhile, since launching in 2016, nearly 500 clubs across Scotland have benefitted from a funding uplift of £290,000 through Aldi’s Scottish Sport Fund, helping to improve community access to sports across the country. 

IT’S ONLY FLIPPING PANCAKE DAY!

ALDI OFFERS QUALITY, VALUE AND STACKS OF CHOICE

Whether it’s sweet or savory, plain or packed with toppings, Aldi Scotland will be a pancake paradise this Shrove Tuesday (1st March) with a wide range of top quality pre-made pancakes and locally sourced ingredients all at ‘in-crepe-ibley’ good value.

With the delectable mixture of low prices, pancakes, crumpets and more toppings than you can shake your pan at, Aldi Scotland is making this Pancake Day the best flipping one yet. 

At just £0.75, Browning’s the Bakers are keeping things sweet with their ready-to-eat Large Maple Syrup Pancakes, while their Large Buttermilk Pancakes (£0.75) ensure the pancake conventionalists aren’t left feeling flat. 

Stack your maple syrup pancakes high with Aldi’s Specially Selected Scottish Streaky Bacon (£1.99, 240g) and a smothering of Specially Selected Ayrshire Sea Salted Butter (£1.65, 250g) for the ultimate sweet and savory experience.  Mix it up with a six pack of Browning’s the Baker crumpets (£0.55) topped with a smear of Specially Selected Scottish Strawberry or Raspberry Preserve for just £1.19. 

Aldi’s Pancake Day products are on sale now and are available across all 102 Scottish stores, so be sure to prepare for a perfect Pancake Day this year.  

You can find your nearest Aldi store here. 

Aldi currently work with over 90 local suppliers, stocking 450 Scottish products and are constantly looking to bring more of what Scotland’s vibrant food and drink industry has to offer to their customers. 

Forget price-match, it is all about your perfect love-match with Aldi Scotland this Valentine’s Day!

They say the way to a someone’s heart is through their stomach and this Valentine’s Day, Aldi Scotland has teamed up with an up-and-coming Scottish Agony Aunt to help its shoppers discover what their purchases say about their love life. 

The supermarket is encouraging shoppers to share a copy of their receipt or a list of their latest purchases via Aldi Scotland’s social channels for the chance to receive love and dating tips from Dear Ashleigh, based on what is in their shopping basket.  

Dear Ashleigh, a beautician from Glasgow, has been a trusted listening ear for her clients for over 10 years, but during lockdown decided to use this experience to offer love and life advice to her online followers looking for guidance on their relationships. 

Creating the perfect hybrid of Cilla Black’s ‘What’s your name, where’d you come from’, and Gillian McKeith’s ‘You are what you eat’, Aldi and Ashleigh will be playing cupid in the run up to Valentine’s Day to find what shopper’s eating and drinking habits suggest about their romantic side and to offer tips on what to look for when searching for their soul mate. 

Ashleigh, online Agony Aunt, commented: “In my experience, people tell you the most about themselves subconsciously, and more often than not, it’s the small things that they themselves haven’t noticed which reveals the most. 

“I’m looking forward to helping Aldi shoppers find out a bit more about themselves and where they should be looking for love.” 

Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland, said: “We have such a varied range of products from local suppliers in our Scottish stores that often the combination of items picked up can say a lot about shopper’s likes and dislikes. 

“So, to mark this Valentine’s Day we thought it would be fun to work with Ashleigh to get her opinion on what a shopping list reveals about our shopper’s love lives and offer some sage advice for our single shoppers looking for love.” 

Shoppers can add romance to any menu this Valentine’s Day with Aldi Scotland’s Valentine’s Specialbuy range available from 10th February, including Love Heart Lorne sausage (£1.09, 150g), Loch Fyne Oysters (£3.99, 360g) and Loch Fyne Scottish Live Mussels (£2.99, 1kg). Customers can also pick up some award-winning gins including Eidyn Premium Scottish Gin (£19.99, 70cl). 

Ashleigh will be sharing her analysis of Aldi Scotland receipts on social media on Valentine’s Day – share your latest purchases with Aldi Scotland via Facebook or Instagram for a chance of personalised dating tips from Ashleigh. 

Aldi set to be Chieftan O’ The Pudden Race with Burns Night range from just 99p

To help Scot’s mark one of the most celebrated days in the calendar, Aldi Scotland has unveiled its Burns Night Specialbuy range, which includes Macaulay’s haggis for just 99p.

Available at all 102 Scottish stores from 13th January, Scots are guaranteed unbeatable bargains on all essential food and drink in honour of the country’s foremost poet.

Those looking for quality products at a fraction of the price will not be disappointed as Aldi Scotland’s everyday haggis range has both the traditional fare and a vegetarian option available for only 99p (offer available 13th – 25th Jan). While Simon Howie’s Gluten Free Haggis makes sure no one is left out of the fun for just £1.99.

The supermarket, which was awarded Multiple Fruit and Vegetable Retailer of the Year 2021 by the Fresh Produce Consortium, will also be launching an exclusive Burns Supper Super Six veg offering, complete with tatties, neeps and all the trimmings supplied by local producers from just 35p.

Customers looking for the perfect centrepiece to their Burns Night celebrations, can pick up a Specially Selected Chieftain Haggis for only £2.99 and no celebration would be complete without ‘tak’ing a cup of kindness’ and with multi award-winning Glen Marnoch 12 year-old Speyside Single Malt reduced to just £17.99 (offer available 13th – 25th Jan) Aldi has all the essentials covered. 

Not a fan of the ‘Great chieftain o the puddin’-race’? No problem, Aldi Scotland has a fantastic range of both traditional and unique Scottish products available, including Punjab Pakora’s Iron Brew Pakora (£1.79) which is back on shelves due to popular demand.

And those looking for a twist on Scotland’s national dish are spoilt for choice with Punjab Pakora’s Haggis Pakora (£1.49), Curried Haggis Bites by Simon Howie (£1.99) and Bell’s Steak and Haggis Pie (£2.99) all included in the retailer’s Best of Scotland range.

Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland, said: “Burns Night is our chance to celebrate everything which is great about Scotland, and this year our Burns Night range has something for everyone.

“As well as offering great prices on classic dishes, we are offering vegetarian and gluten-free options, as well as some more unique Scots’ products like Iron Brew Pakora and Curried Haggis Bites.

“In 2021 we continued to underline our commitment to Scottish suppliers and produce, supplying over 450 Scottish products from over 90 local suppliers to our shoppers. We are now pleased to be kicking of 2022 by once again working with so many of our long-standing suppliers in Scotland to offer our customers a fantastic range of products.”

Aldi donates 9,224 meals to Lothians charities over Christmas

Aldi has supported local charities, community groups and food banks in the Lothians by donating 9,224 meals to people in need this Christmas. 

The supermarket paired up its stores with local organisations to make the most of unsold fresh and chilled food after stores closed on both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, as part of its pledge to donate 1.8 million meals to families experiencing food poverty during November and December. 

Around 550,000 meals were donated nationwide and more than 700 UK causes benefitted from the initiative over the festive period,  

The initiative is part of Aldi’s successful partnership with Neighbourly, a community giving platform that links businesses to charitable organisations. Thanks to this, all of Aldi’s over 950 UK stores now donate surplus food to good causes seven days a week, all year round. 

This year’s Christmas donations have helped Aldi to meet its pledge to donate 10 million meals to families in need in 2021 through its partnership with Neighbourly. 

Mary Dunn, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK, said: “The festive season is always a hard time for people affected by food poverty, so we are incredibly proud to have supported so many amazing causes in the Lothians this Christmas.” 

Since beginning its partnership with Neighbourly in April 2019, Aldi has donated more than 20 million meals across the UK. 

Steve Butterworth, from Neighbourly, added: “This Christmas was without a doubt one of the busiest on record for the UK’s charities and food banks. The sizeable donations from Aldi would have been a massive lifeline for so many of them.” 

Aldi has been working with Neighbourly since early 2019. As part of the partnership, Aldi introduced community donation points in all stores last year, offering customers the opportunity to donate any food or household products to local causes all year round. 

Not Socks Again?! Donate your unwanted Christmas socks to people who need them most

Aldi Scotland has launched its ‘Not Socks Again?!’ campaign for the second year running, following its widespread success in 2021, which saw more than 2000 pairs of socks donated to good causes.

The initiative encourages customers to donate any unwanted or extra unused socks they may have received as Christmas gifts to charities supporting people in need across Scotland.

Every year, millions of people receive socks for Christmas that they often don’t want or need, charities across Scotland do, and Aldi’s ‘Not Socks Again?!’ campaign aims to put these gifts to better use by donating new and unused socks to those who need them most.  

Aldi’s Sock Amnesty’ boxes will be in stores across Scotland from the 3rd of January until the end of the month, where people can drop off their unused socks to help keep vulnerable people warm this winter.

Aldi has linked up with three Scottish charities for this year’s initiative: Aberlour Children’s Charity, Simon Community Scotland, and Bethany Christian Trust.

The Bethany Christian Trust are working toward the goal of ending homelessness in Scotland. The team at the Bethany Christian Trust offer a broad range of services, from assistance with housing, education and employment, to crisis intervention wellbeing support.

Nathanael Smith, Community Fundraiser, Bethany Christian Trust, said: “It’s surprising how much a good pair of socks can make a difference in someone’s life.

“It’s a simple gift that can mean warmth, comfort and dignity to those in need. Thanks to Aldi for making such an amazing project possible.”

Richard Holloway, Regional Managing Director for Scotland, said: “Following an immensely challenging year, the team at Aldi Scotland were eager to support charities which are working tirelessly to help those in need.

“In winter, charities are always looking for essential items to be donated, and so we thought, why not encourage our customers to donate any unwanted gifts of socks to people who truly need them.

Aldi will also contribute a £250 donation to each charity in the hope of helping the most vulnerable in our communities.

Aldi’s Sock Amnesty boxes will be in store from 3rd January and customers are invited to drop off any unwanted, new and unused, socks which will be donated to the charity in their local area.”  

This initiative builds on Aldi’s commitment to supporting communities across Scotland. Since 2016, Aldi’s Scottish Sports Fund has supported over 500 local clubs with more than £290,000 worth of donations.

In addition, Aldi has helped to provide over 10 million meals to vulnerable people across the UK through its partnership with community engagement platform, Neighbourly. Aldi also helped 12 local foodbanks this year after it relaunched its popular Supermarket Sweep programme this year.

To find your nearest Aldi store please visit their website here and donate your unwanted socks this Christmas.

Food Banks in Scotland struggle to keep up with rising demand as donations fall

Food banks in Scotland are preparing for their most challenging Christmas yet as they struggle with rising demand and dwindling public donations, new research shows. 

According to a survey by community giving platform Neighbourly – which Aldi partners with to distribute surplus food from its stores – 68% of food banks, charities and community causes in Scotland are worried about having enough food to support people this Christmas. 

Neighbourly polled more than 600 food banks and community causes nationwide and found that 89% in Scotland expect this Christmas to be their busiest yet, with more people than ever needing their support. 

However, the survey also revealed that 71% of food banks in the region have witnessed a drop in donations in recent months – with the fallout of the pandemic and rising cost of living continuing to impact contributions. 

On average, food banks in Scotland expect to see a 36% increase in demand over the next three months, with organisations in the area currently supporting an average of 203 people a week. More than 67% say they’ve already experienced an increase in demand since the summer. 

From tinned foods to festive treats and toiletries, the research also revealed a list of the items that are most needed by food banks over the festive period to help guide supporters. Shoppers can donate food to local charities, food banks and community groups via the community donation points in Aldi stores nationwide. 

Mary Dunn, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK, said: “Christmas can be a particularly busy time for the local charities and organisations we support, but this year is set to be more challenging than ever.  

“As part of our Christmas campaign with Kevin the Carrot and Marcus Radishford, we have committed to donate 1.8 million meals to good causes in the lead-up to Christmas – and we know that our customers in Scotland want to help too.

“If you feel you are in a position to help, your donation could make all the difference to food banks this Christmas.” 

Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, added: “The findings of our latest survey highlight that the continued impact of the pandemic, combined with increased inflation, is being very much felt by communities up and down the country, with charities and local causes feeling the effects too.

“We’d encourage anyone who is able to give back in the coming weeks to do so.” 

Aldi works with Neighbourly to donate surplus food from stores throughout the year. 

Top 15 most in-demand items this Christmas 

  1. Tinned food 
  2. Festive treats 
  3. Toiletries 
  4. Tea/coffee 
  5. Biscuits and snacks 
  6. Breakfast cereals 
  7. Juices and soft drinks 
  8. UHT milk  
  9. Laundry and cleaning products 
  10. Dry packaged food 
  11. Rice and pasta 
  12. Gift items 
  13. Cooking sauces 
  14. Children’s toys, crafts and games 
  15. Sanitary items 

Aldi to stock Scotland’s most sustainable beef this Christmas

This Christmas, Aldi Scotland will be stocking what is described by farmers as ‘the meat you can feel good about’, as its range of Galloway joints hits shelves.  

The supermarket is enhancing its Christmas range with Scotch Galloway Beef Sirloin Joint (£17.99/kg), Scotch Galloway Beef Rump Joint (£9.99/kg) and the award-winning* Scotch Galloway Beef Joint wrapped in Ayrshire Streaky Bacon (£11.99, 950g), which will be available across all 102 Scottish stores from 19th December. 

Galloway cattle are renowned for the benefits they have for farmers, local communities, and the biodiversity of the natural environment. That’s in addition to being recognised by top chefs across the world for their exquisite taste and outstanding quality. 

The cattle are ‘conservation grazers’ meaning they thrive on agricultural land that face natural challenges, such as exposed high hills. As one of Scotland’s oldest native breeds, the Galloway’s knack for digesting rough grass and foraging on Scottish hillsides have set them apart for their ability to reinvigorate the landscape, creating valuable habitat that allows rich biodiversity to flourish. 

Scott McKinnon from Galloway Cattle Society said: “Scottish farmers are sitting up and taking notice of the fantastic benefits Galloway cattle can have, not only for their buying partners like Aldi who are looking for unmatched quality from their suppliers, but also the benefit these cattle have on the landscape and the wider environment.

“It’s important we all work together to make farming as sustainable as possible and explore opportunities for the agricultural sector to continue to grow and diversify as the world moves to a more circular economy model.

“It’s great to see a leading supermarket like Aldi supporting Scottish farmers and recognising the cattle for their sustainable benefits.” 

Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland said: “Our relationships with our talented, local suppliers gives us a real insight into the sector and allows us to explore options which not only meet our high-standard in quality but that have benefits which exceed essential food production.

“Galloway beef is renowned across the world for its superb taste, and it has been amazing to discover what makes them so uniquely special.

“At Aldi Scotland we only stock products that we are proud of, and we look forward to offering our shoppers a meat they can feel especially good about this Christmas.” 

Scotbeef’s Scotch Galloway Beef Sirloin Joint (£17.99/kg), Scotch Galloway Beef Rump Joint (£9.99/kg) and the award-winning* Scotch Galloway Beef Joint wrapped in Ayrshire Streaky Bacon (£11.99, 950g), will all be available, while stocks last, across all Aldi Scotland’s 102 stores from 19th December 2021. 

* The Scotch Galloway Joint with Ayrshire Bacon has won Grocer own Label Award Bronze in 2021 and a Quality Food Awards Commended award in 2020.