ALDI’s arrival into Athenry with the opening of its new store last week has created 30 new permanent jobs and seen an investment of over €12m in the local area.

Located in Cross Street, the store becomes ALDI’s twelfth store in Galway and 159th nationwide; it was officially opened on Thursday by the local team and Store Manager Austin Mahony.

It’s the latest chapter in ALDI €63 million investment in six new stores across the West of Ireland. The first of these stores, Ballina, Tuam, and Mountbellew opened in 2022, with Ballyhaunis and Athenry opening in 2023 and finally a new city outlet on the Monivea Road, which is set to open in 2024.

That €63 million investment will see the creation of up to 490 new jobs, comprising 140 permanent roles in ALDI and 350 indirect construction jobs.

Since opening its first Galway store in West City Centre Retail Park in 2000, ALDI has made a capital investment of over €42 million in the county.

Across its twelve stores in Galway, the retailer employs over 265 people with a €7.5 million total annual salary spend.

And working with eleven local producers, ALDI spent €20 million with its Galway based suppliers in 2022.

Additionally, ALDI has invested €1.6 million in Galway as part of its Project Fresh initiative. ALDI Project Fresh stores focus on reducing the reliance on fossil fuels, using sustainable energy supply and avoiding CO2 emissions.

ALDI Athenry Store Manager Austin Mahony said that the new store, and the 30 new jobs created, is in keeping with the retailer’s ambition to deliver value to the people of Ireland at the locations most convenient to them.

“We are very conscious of the current challenges facing consumers and businesses. The cost-of-living crisis is impacting every household and we know what it means for our customers. Working alongside our strong network of local suppliers, we will continue to work hard, mindful of the challenges facing our customers and supporting them where we can,” he said.