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Aldi has announced it will open 16 new stores before Christmas - with the full list of locations confirmed. The supermarket will open the new branches between November 6 and December 12, in areas including Kirkintilloch in Scotland , Cheadle in Staffordshire, Billericay in Essex and Kentish Town in London. Aldi said it is investing £650million through its store opening and refurbishment programme in 2025, with each new site creating around 40 jobs. The budget retailer also recently announced it would be doubling down on its investment with a £1.6billion commitment over the next two years, opening 40 stores each year. To prepare for the Christmas rush, Aldi has launched a recruitment drive to hire more than 4,500 store colleagues across the UK. The roles will include helping restock shelves and assisting customers during one of the busiest periods of the retail calendar. New store colleagues will earn from £13.02 an hour nationally and from £14.35 inside the M25. Jonathan Neale, Managing Director of National Real Estate at Aldi UK, said: “At Aldi, we’re focused on making affordable, high-quality food accessible to as many people as possible - and opening new stores is at the heart of how we do that. “Launching 16 new stores in just over five weeks is a significant milestone for our business and a clear demonstration of the pace and ambition behind our growth plans. “It means more communities will benefit from Aldi’s value and choice in the weeks ahead and beyond.” It comes after Aldi dropped its first Christmas advert teaser - and its beloved mascot Kevin the Carrot is back for his tenth year. The first of three clips shows Kevin waiting in the snow outside the house of his partner Katie. He is joined by new character, Caulidog, which is a cauliflower dog. With a diamond ring attached to its collar, Kevin and his veggie companion hold up a sign that reads: “To me, you are 24 carat.” He then lifts the sign to reveal another card that says: "Marry Christmas?" The heartwarming moment mimics the iconic cue-card scene from Love Actually. Viewers will have to keep their eye out for the following two episodes launching over the festive season to find out Katie's answer.
