17 February 2020
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Over €250,000 donated to local charities through Aldi’s Community Grants Programme
Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind has become the latest charity to benefit from Aldi’s Community Grants programme, receiving a €500 grant from Aldi’s Blackpool Retail Park store team.
The €500 donation was presented to Anne Kelliher and guide dog Rory from Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind by Veki Krnic, Aldi Blackpool Retail Park’s ‘Charity Champion’.
Aldi’s Community Grants programme helps fund local charities and organisations that contribute vital work and services in their local communities. Each local charity supported is chosen by Aldi employees, enabling them to help the local good causes they are passionate about.
The programme has contributed to over 340 different local projects to date, donating over €250,000 since 2016.
Commenting, Padraig Collins, Aldi Blackpool Retail Park Store Manager said: “The amazing work Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind does to help those with vision impairments and autism improve their mobility and independence through the use of guide dogs is invaluable. We are proud to support a service that makes a huge difference to Cork.”
“Being part of and investing in local communities is something that Aldi is committed to and we are delighted to be able to make this contribution.”
Operating 23 stores in County Cork, Aldi is deeply involved in the local community. Through its partnership with FoodCloud, its stores in County Cork have donated over 286,000 meals to local charities to date, while as Foróige’s lead sponsor since 2015, it has helped support initiatives including the Aldi Foróige Youth Citizenship Awards and the Aldi Foróige Junior Baking Competition.
About Aldi
Aldi has been Ireland’s fastest-growing supermarket for most of the last ten years, achieving an 11.4% market share (Kantar Worldpanel data).
Employing almost 4,000 people, the company operates a network of 142 stores across the country, with stores in each county in the Republic of Ireland.
Aldi is investing €160m to expand and upgrade its Irish store network. It has committed €100m to construct and opening 20 new stores, while Project Fresh sees a further €60m investment to revamp the layout and design of all 142 Aldi stores nationwide.
Aldi is attracting thousands of new customers in Ireland every year with its range of award-winning products and exclusive brands.
Aldi was the number one Irish retailer at the 2019 Great Taste Awards, with four of its own-brand products winning the most coveted three gold stars award – more than any other supermarket in Ireland. Aldi also won 30 Blás na hEireann Awards and 40 Irish Quality Food Awards in 2019.
Aldi was ranked as the most reputable supermarket in Ireland by Irish consumers for the third year in a row by the prestigious RepTrak survey.
The company’s current initiatives include:
- Aldi has been Ireland’s highest paying supermarket for over a decade. Aldi will become the first supermarket to pay staff the Living Wage Technical Group’s €12.30 rate, coming into effect from the 1st February 2019.
- Aldi has made a capital investment of more than €1.2 billion in Ireland since entering the market in 1999.
- Each year Aldi contributes to the generation of over €1 billion to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the Irish economy.
- Aldi Ireland is stocked by over 200 Irish suppliers.
- Aldi has agreed a three-year, €900,000 extension to its partnership with leading youth organisation Foróige. Aldi funds a number of exciting activities, including the Aldi Foróige Youth Citizenship Awards and the Aldi Foróige Junior Baking Competition.
- Aldi partners with FoodCloud to donate food from all 142 stores to charity partners nationwide, helping to alleviate food poverty and food waste. To date, Aldi has donated 1.5 million meals to charities, equating to a saving of more than €2 million for the charity partners involved.
- Aldi is the official supermarket partner of the IRFU and the sponsor of Aldi Play Rugby, a programme that encourages school children to lead healthy, active lifestyles. Aldi Play Rugby was named the Best Grass Roots Sponsorship at the 2018 Irish Sponsorship Awards.
- Aldi is the official sponsor of the Aldi Community Games, ensuring young people have the opportunity to participate in the Games.
- Aldi is a verified member of Bord Bia’s national sustainability programme Origin Green.
- Aldi has invested more than €1,500,000 in its Grow with Aldi supplier development programme since 2018, providing Irish food and drink companies with the opportunity to gain a listing at Aldi’s 142 stores.
- Aldi recently increased its support for small Irish suppliers by reducing its payment terms to 14 days for suppliers that transact up to €300,000 annually with Aldi.
- Aldi’s Project Fresh store design was recognised at the Checkout National Retail Supplier Awards winning the Best New Store Build award for Aldi’s Ennistymon store and at the Checkout ‘Best in Fresh’ Awards 2019 for Aldi’s The Glen Waterford store.
- Aldi Ireland was crowned Ireland’s Best Family-Friendly Supermarket for the second year in a row at the National Parenting Product Awards 2019.
- A wide-ranging packaging and plastics reduction plan is being implemented across Aldi’s Irish operations. Aldi has pledged that 100% of its own-label packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022 and committed to a 50% reduction in all product packaging by 2025 (relative to 2015 levels), working towards the goal that half of all Aldi product packaging will be made from recycled material by 2025.
- Aldi was the first retailer in Ireland to pledge to buy 100% of its bananas from sustainable sources.
- Aldi’s entire own-label household and beauty range has been accredited as cruelty free certified by leading animal protection organisation, Cruelty Free International.
- Aldi has banned all microbeads and microplastics from products since 2015.
- Aldi was the first retailer in Ireland to restrict the sale of energy drinks to under 16s.
- Aldi achieved the ISO 50001 internationally recognised energy management certification in November 2015. This certification covers all stores, Regional Distribution Centres and offices in both the UK and Ireland. This accreditation highlights Aldi’s commitment to effectively manage its energy consumption and reduce its impact on the environment.
