DISCOUNT chain Aldi is opening a new store in Woking, as it ramps up competition against other major supermarket companies across the South East.

The UK’s fourth-biggest food retailer is planning to open at Lion Retail Park in Maybury at the end of August.

Its new store will be in premises previously occupied by Currys PC World and Halfords – close to the large Asda supermarket on the same site.

Aldi has merged the two vacant stores into one, after receiving planning permission for conversion work.

The units were previously separated by the Carpetright store, which has been moved to be next to Hobbycraft.

Aldi has around 990 stores in the UK, with Guildford and Chertsey the nearest branches to Woking. It has announced that it is creating 6,000 jobs across the country, as it benefits from increased sales due to rises in the cost of living.

The German-owned company moved ahead of Morrisons to become the UK’s fourth-largest supermarket chain last autumn, as price inflation rose at its fastest rate in 40 years. Aldi’s sales had risen by almost 25% compared with the same period in 2021.

Aldi UK chief executive Giles Hurley said: “Demand for Aldi has never been higher as more and more people realise they can make significant savings on every shop without compromising on quality.

“It’s more important than ever that we are making it even easier for more people to shop with us, including by opening dozens of new stores.”

The company said in January that it intends to open 60 new stores across the South East, 12 of them in Surrey.

It is recruiting 100 staff across the county, including for its branches at Burpham and Blackwater near Camberley, and says it will soon be hiring for Woking.

Vacancies in Surrey include full and part-time positions such as caretaker and store assistant and store manager. Salaries for senior positions go up to £63,000.

Aldi store assistants receive a starting pay rate of £11 an hour, rising to £11.90.