GERMAN discount retail giant Aldi is to open a supermarket in Immingham next year.
The firm has confirmed it has bought the existing Co-operative Food store in Washdyke Lane and will reopen it as an Aldi.
The move could see the firm steal a march on Tesco, which has delayed the opening of its new £10 million superstore across the road until next summer.
As reported, construction has been underway on the Kennedy Way site since the start of the year and the store was initially expected to be open by Christmas.
Councillor Mike Burton (Lab – Immingham), welcomed the news of Aldi moving into the town.
"It's a good choice for the town and, with Tesco coming, it will offer an alternative to people on where they can shop," he said.
"Competition is always a good thing and I do believe that the town is big enough to sustain two brand supermarkets."
An Aldi spokesperson, said: "We are pleased to announce that Aldi will be opening a store in the Immingham area, following a purchase from The Co-operative Group.
"The new store, which is set to open in 2015, is part of our expansion strategy to help meet Aldi's growing customer demand across the UK."
In a statement, a Co-operative Food spokesperson said: "I can confirm our intention to close the food store in Immingham.
"The Co-operative Group continually reviews its retail estate, and we have made the decision to focus on smaller convenience stores and dispose of those trading outlets that do not align with our strategy.
"The consideration to sell the store is in no way a reflection on the hard work and commitment from colleagues working at the Immingham store."
The Co-op opened in Immingham in 2010 after a £1.56 billion purchase of the Somerfield supermarket chain, saving 60 jobs at the site.
That came four years after Somerfield took over the site, which was previously a Kwik Save, saving some 32 roles.
Nationwide, Aldi has piled the pressure on supermarket giants by pledging to double its number of stores, buoyed by the scale of its success in attracting millions of new customers.
The chain has vowed to double its size to 1,000 stores in the next seven years, according to reports.
It already has two sites in Grimsby, in Cleethorpe Road and Cambridge Road.
Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons have seen their profits fall as more families switch to Aldi's cheaper products.
Aldi claims it will be adding between 50 and 65 new stores a year until 2021 when they should have 1,000 stores across the country
If it achieves its current rate of growth every year, it will hit 1,000 stores by 2021.
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