DISCOUNT giant Aldi is on the hunt for new store locations in Cheshire as part of a rapid expansion drive.

The German retailer has revealed plans to open 500 new stores across the UK.

The company has named Handforth as a 'priority area' where they are looking for suitable land.

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Last month, the UK’s fourth largest supermarket called on the nation to to highlight where new stores were most needed.

After more than 4,000 requests were received, the German retailer has now reviewed the list of locations and used it to develop its store search over the coming years.

Aldi has seen its popularity soar as shoppers switch to the supermarket for its lower prices and great quality.

The retailer currently has more than 1,020 stores and is committed to continuing towards its long term target of more than 1,500 across the UK.

The move is part of a two-year £1.4 billion investment.

Jonathan Neale, managing director of National Real Estate at Aldi UK, said: “We want to make high quality food accessible to all, but we can’t do that while there are still some towns and areas that either don’t have an Aldi or have capacity for additional stores.

“We recognise there is huge demand in certain regions for more stores, which is why we decided to get the public’s input on our latest list of priority locations.

”They have helped us identify where demand is greatest and we will continue to work to bring Aldi to as many people as possible.”

Anybody who has a site that may fit Aldi’s requirements should contact realestateacquisitions@aldi.co.uk.

Each site should be able to accommodate a 20,000 sq ft store with around 100 parking spaces.

Ideally the location will be near a main road with good visibility and access.