Aldi to open two new distribution centres in Australia

German discount chain Aldi is building two new distribution centres in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, allowing it to double its presence in the country. According to reports in The Australian Managing Director Michael Kloeters described the pace of store openings as "frantic'', with 38 opened during 2008, 13 of them in December alone, but says he will continue opening at least 30 stores a year "for the foreseeable future". The retailer has a portfolio of 202 stores eight years after arriving in Australia. The new warehouses will allow the company to cater for 460 stores. Kloeters said it would have an even bigger presence in Australia if it had not been locked out of many desirable locations by landlords who had signed leases with major supermarket chains that contain restrictive covenants precluding them from renting space to competitors. He said: "The shopping centre owners are quite keen to have an Aldi store because we are pulling in a lot of customers, but they can only sign a lease with us if there are no restrictive covenants on leases they held with larger supermarkets.”

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