Aldi has announced a major £1billion move that will be welcome news to British farmers. The German supermarket giant, which has more than 1,050 stores across the UK, has committed to investing £1.1billion over five years into British egg production to further strengthen and support its domestic supply chain.

Aldi says it sells more than 1,500 tonnes of British eggs every week, equivalent to around 2.5 million packs, sourced from poultry farms across the UK. The investment is underpinned by newly established five-year long-term agreements (LTAs) with the supermarket chain’s egg suppliers, running to the end of the decade.

Aldi says the agreements “provide farmers with greater financial certainty, enabling long-term investment in efficiency, infrastructure and animal welfare”.

Aldi is the second-largest retailer in the country for free-range egg volume.

Julie Ashfield, chief commercial officer at Aldi UK, said: “Our egg supply depends on British farmers, and we want to give them the certainty they need to plan ahead.

“By working closely with our suppliers through long-term agreements, we’re able to provide the stability and confidence they need to continue investing in their farms, while ensuring our customers have access to high-quality, British eggs every day.”

Daniel Fairbun, chief executive officer at L J Fairburn & Son, one of Aldi’s major egg suppliers, added: “The long-term nature of Aldi’s agreements gives us the certainty to invest and keep improving how we produce British eggs.

“That confidence also helps us plan year after year to meet customer demand.”

The announcement builds on Aldi’s wider commitment to long-term partnerships with British growers. The supermarket has already increased the number of long-term agreements in place with UK produce and horticulture suppliers earlier this year.

Aldi is aiming to secure at least 50% of its domestic produce supply through long-term agreements by the end of 2027, providing greater certainty for growers and supporting more resilient supply chains.

A growing fashion retailer is opening its newest UK store in one of the country’s largest shopping centres. Whole stores like River Island and New Look shut a slew of stores due to financial hardships and changing customer habits, while others are expanding and opening new sites across Britain. One of those stores is Stradivarius, which is gearing up to open its first store in Kent. The womenswear brand is known for selling clothes, shoes and accessories, and already has 10 stores in the UK.

It is part of Inditex, the owner of fashion retailers Zara, Pull & Bear, and Bershka. Launched in Spain in 1999, it has become popular across Europe and now has stores in a number of countries. Stradivarius will open at Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent on February 26. The new store will fill an 8,488 sq ft unit on the Lower Thames Walk, adjacent to Marks and Spencer. It adds to the 280 stores and food and drink operators already present in the massive shopping centre, which is the fifth-largest in the country. 

James Waugh, centre director at Bluewater, said: “Stradivarius has been our most requested brand for some time now, and our original announcement sharing that they’d be joining our retail line-up was met with huge excitement.

“We’re delighted to be able to give fans of the brand a concrete opening date, so that they can start planning their shopping trips.

“This marks the first time our guests will be able to shop their collections in the region, and we can’t wait to welcome them through the doors when the store opens next week.”

The shops will join a generous selection of fashion retailers in the shopping centre, including Bershka, AllSaints, Diesel, Calvin Klein, Hollister, H&M, New Look, Mango and Levi’s, among others. 

In total, Stradivarius has more than 900 stores in over 60 countries. It was originally a family business that started in Barcelona in 1994. It was eventually purchased by Intidex and began rapid expansion worldwide. 

Stradivarius currently has four stores in London, as well as sites in Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

It isn’t the only retailer set to open at Bluewater Shopping Centre for the first time. Premium British lifestyle brand Crew Clothing is also opening on February 26 in the Kent shopping centre. The first 50 customers who spend £50 or more will receive a free Crew Clothing tote bag with an exclusive gift on the opening day.

The British company has seen sustained growth over the last few years and has stores in locations like London, Luton, Chelmsford and Berkhamsted. 

The Co-op has announced a major investment as customers are set to notice some price changes in its 2,300 UK stores over the next 12 months. The supermarket, which is the sixth-largest in the UK by number of stores, has pledged to make several moves to help customers through the current cost-of-living crisis. Its £1bn “Back Britain” plan comes after the Budget announcement, and will see prices slashed for both members and non-members across the country.

Prices will be slashed on more than 1,000 products in Co-op’s 2,300 stores nationwide over the next 12 months. Co-op has also pledged to British sourcing, community-led retailing, and skills development. The company says the move reinforces its “belief that responsible business must play its part in tackling the cost-of-living crisis”. A survey by Co-op revealed that 58% of participants list the cost-of-living crisis as one of their top three concerns. This figure is up from 51% in late 2024.

Shirine Khoury-Haq, Co-op Group CEO, said that its commitment to “facilitating over £1 billion of spend into the UK economy over the next year” sees its “biggest ever number of price reductions to help with the cost of living, continued investment in British farmers and suppliers, and a focus on keeping high streets vibrant and safe.”

The £1bn investment will have a focus on categories that support British farming, produce, protein and dairy. Co-op’s investment will “extend lower prices beyond just Co-op members”, in a bid to support “the 15 million weekly transactions that occur in Co-op shops and to help families manage weekly budgets”. 

Co-op also pledged to spend more than £700m a year with British farmers and agriculture suppliers, maintaining its 100% British fresh and frozen meat commitment across all own-brand products.

The supermarket said it will invest in another 100 stores over the next 12 months, including new openings and revamps to existing stores. Recently, Co-op announced that it was opening a record number of stores in the space of seven days as part of its growth plans. 

It has also pledged a £38m annual spend on crime prevention measures, including body cameras for workers and extra security staff. 

Additionally, Co-op has set a target of creating 7,000 matched apprenticeships by 2030 through its Levy Share service. It already spends £1 million a year on its 38 Co-op Academies.