Aldi confirms opening of new Shrewsbury supermarket

The company has not put a date on the opening of the new store in Battlefield but say the smaller branch at Arlington Way will close the day before the new store opens.

An Aldi spokesperson said: “Construction for our new Battlefield Road store is progressing well as we move towards opening in February this year.

"This will create up to 10 new jobs for the community and enable local people to shop in a new, brighter store which will offer a better shopping experience than the store on Arlington Way which will close the day before the new store opens.”

The company's signs are now up and visible at the big new store and plans for roadworks to allow for the installation of new street lights have already been announced.

From January 9 to 14, Battlefield Road in Shrewsbury will be closed between Mayfield Close and the Battlefield Roundabout from 8pm to 5am each night.

Closure will take place to enable a company to install new street lighting columns for the new Aldi store. During the closures a signed diversion route will be in place, and access to residential properties and businesses will be maintained.

Residents and businesses will be be notified, and advanced warning signs will be placed on site two weeks prior to the works starting.

Aldi, which has recently become Britain’s fourth largest grocery group, has pledged to continue to provide the lowest grocery prices in the country.

Work started on the new supermarket based on the outskirts of Shrewsbury in May this year.

After getting planning permission in March, the company planned to replaced its 960 square metre building in Arlington Way with a store 400 square metre larger, to allow for wider aisles and more tills to reduce congestion and queuing.

The new supermarket will be accessed via a new junction off Battlefield Road, which would be widened to create a right-turn lane in an effort to avoid disrupting traffic flow.

The site was previously earmarked for a Miller & Carter steakhouse, Costa drive-through, Premier Inn and shop units.

Aldi received permission for the new store in March 2022.

Councillors had expressed their concerns that the increased traffic could lead to queues, but bosses explained the reason for the relocation at a Shropshire Council meeting last year.

George Brown, Aldi’s regional property director, said the existing store in Arlington Way has been in place since 1992, but the business has outgrown the site.

“While we were able to extend the store in 2006, it’s still 40 per cent smaller than our current design and can no longer accommodate the full range of products or customer demand,” he told councillors.

Mr Brown said a legal agreement would ensure the Arlington Way site is marketed for employment use, excluding retail, for 10 years – effectively representing a “land swap” for the allocated employment site the new store will occupy.

The site lies 265 metres from the registered battlefield associated with the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403.

The site was previously earmarked for a Miller & Carter steakhouse, Costa drive-through, Premier Inn and shop units.