24 January 2021
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Good news on the jobs front
Aldi Ireland recently announced that it is seeking to recruit 120 new employees for its stores in County Cork. Opportunities available include 118 permanent positions. Aldi is recruiting more than 1,050 new store employees across the country throughout 2021, which include 700 permanent positions and 350 temporary jobs to support busy key trading periods.
Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English TD, and Niall O’Connor, group managing director of Aldi Ireland. Photograph: Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland
The creation of the new jobs comes as Aldi continues to grow its store network across the country. Currently operating 23 stores in Co Cork, Aldi plans on opening a new store in Douglas, and has submitted a planning application for a store in Kanturk, as part of its ambitious store opening programme.
Aldi has witnessed a surge in sales and customer footfall in the last 12 months, with sales growing by 15.2% and with over 1.4 million households shopping at its stores. It recently extended the opening hours of its 145 Irish stores in the run up to Christmas, opening its stores between 8am-11pm for the very first time. Additional staff are required to help meet ongoing customer demand across its store network.
Aldi is committed to investing in its people and provides the opportunity for staff to progress their career into senior management. It is Ireland’s leading supermarket in terms of pay with Store Assistants able to earn up to €14.10 per hour. It was the first supermarket to introduce The Living Wage Technical Group’s recommended Living Wage rate of €12.30 as its minimum, entry level of pay.
Commenting, Niall O’Connor, Group Managing Director Aldi Ireland, said:
“Our stores have seen a major increase in customer footfall since the Covid-19 pandemic began and our staff have played a central role in ensuring people have had access to essential best value groceries in a safe environment.”
“We take pride in being one of the best employers in the country, employing over 4,500 colleagues and paying industry leading wages.”
“With ambitious plans to open more stores across the country, we require 1,050 new staff to join the Aldi team this year, so we can continue providing the best shopping experience in Ireland. This includes recruiting 120 new employees for our stores in County Cork. We need the very best people to join the Aldi team to help us continue to deliver the highest level of customer service and lowest grocery prices in Ireland.”