Aldi has spoken out following the receipt of 35 formal objections from 'commerical rivals' to 33 planning applications it submitted for new store openings, according to a new study conducted by the Irish Times.
The German retailer has said that it has been subject to 'resistance and obstruction from other retailers' to its nationwide planning applications.
Aldi Ireland is reportedly in the midst of a €100 million expansion plan said that the planning objections 'deny consumers access to choice and competition in their local communities'.
Aldi has blamed 'repeat objectors' for allegedly 'hampering job growth'.
Tesco Ireland has reportedly objected to 16 separate proposed Aldi developments in recent years, with a 'large concentration in the Leinster and greater Dublin regions', such as on the Malahide Road in Dublin and in Leixlip.
Case By Case Ojections
Tesco said last night that it objects on a case-by-case basis and '[only] where there is a legitimate planning ground or precedent to justify the objection'.
Speaking with the Irish Times last night, Tara Buckley, the director general of RGdata, who personally signs many of the objections, said that it regularly objects to planning applications by the German discounters, Aldi and Lidl.
“But this is because the discounters often apply for edge-of-town locations where people cannot walk to, which can be against guidelines,” she said.
© 2018 - Checkout Magazine by Donna Ahern
