Aldi in Seaton to be opened by Team GB hockey star tomorrow

Team GB hockey player Giselle Ansley will be at the supermarket to cut the ribbon and give away complimentary bags of fruit and vegetables to the first 30 customers in the queue.

Ansley, who grew up in Devon, was part of the country's gold medal-winning team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and picked up a bronze medal at Tokyo 2020. 

The Underfleet Way store will be run by 35 people from the local community. 

Store manager James Spry said: “We can’t wait to open the doors to the new store in Seaton.

“It’s set to be a special day, and having Olympic hero Giselle Ansley join us will make it a morning to remember.”

Aldi's Honiton store ahead of its grand opening. (Image: Simon Horn)

Ansley said: “I’m so excited to be opening Aldi’s new store; it will be great to chat to customers and a lovely way for me to thank Aldi for its support of Team GB.”

The store's opening comes after local businesses reported disruption from the site while it was under construction, with one owner asking for compensation in June after claiming footfall and sales had both fallen because of the noise and access issues. 

Aldi responded, saying it was doing “all we can to improve access and maintain footfall to nearby businesses”. 

Now, the budget supermarket chain has called for local charities and food banks to register with Neighbourly, a community engagement platform that links businesses to charitable organisations in the local community. 

Registered charities will be able to collect surplus food and perishable products, such as fruit, vegetables and baked goods, seven days a week.

Charities that would like to partner with the Aldi store should email aldi@neighbourly.com.

Aldi could soon have another store in East Devon after revealing its plans to open 500 new ones across the UK, with Exmouth listed as a proposed location. 

Aldi Seaton opening hours 

Monday – Saturday: 8am – 10pm

Sunday: 10am – 4pm