Aldi announces new investment in Irish suppliers
Aldi has announced the latest step in its plan to invest in Irish businesses with a €500,000 fund to find and introduce new Irish products to its shelves. The announcement comes amid new research that suggests almost four out of five Irish shoppers would purchase an Irish product over an imported one.
Print15 May 2018
Aldi has announced a €500,000 investment in its new supplier development programme, which aims to give up-and-coming Irish food and drink companies the opportunity to appear on its shelves in a long-term contract. The announcement came alongside new research that revealed Irish consumers find “buying Irish” to be more important than ever. According to a new survey by Core Research, 78% of Irish shoppers would always choose an Irish-made product over a similar imported option.
The programme is titled ‘Grow with Aldi’, and is seeking applications from small to medium Irish suppliers nationwide; up to 50 products will be selected for a place on Aldi’s mentoring programme, and go on to supply all 130 of Aldi’s stores during a special Irish Food Market promotion later this year.
Five of the products will be then given the opportunity to become core line listed Aldi products, winning a contract to go on sale in stores all year round.
This is of course a monumental opportunity for any small business, and competition is sure to be very tight. Participants will receive tailored mentoring and bespoke workshops with Aldi buyers and Bord Bia technical experts, teaching them the skills to help grow and develop their product and business.
Giles Hurley, group managing director, Aldi Ireland, said the company has always taken great pride in supporting Irish businesses. “We have always taken great pride in our Irish sourcing,” Hurley said, “having developed long-term partnerships with over 175 Irish suppliers throughout the country.
“Our Grow with Aldi supplier development programme is the next step in our commitment to buying Irish,” Hurley added. “For a lot of small food and drink businesses, trying to secure a listing with a major retailer puts huge pressure on their team. We’ve launched this development programme to make it easier for companies to get their products on our shelves and to give our customers access to the most exciting and best quality new products from Ireland.”
Food and drink companies in Ireland with ambitions to take their product from concept to shelf and see it stocked in Aldi’s 130 Irish stores can apply for the Grow with Aldi supplier development programme by contacting grow@aldi.ie. Further details are available at (www.aldi.ie/grow).
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