Aldi in Lees celebrates its grand opening with the help of Olympian Josie Knight

A brand-new Aldi store in Lees opened its doors to customers yesterday (Thursday), with Team GB cycling hero Josie Knight cutting the all-important red ribbon, alongside pupils from St Thomas Leesfield C of E Primary School.

The Lees Road store is the newest Aldi to open in Oldham and will be run by Store Manager Mark McManus, along with a team of 30 colleagues from the local community.

Applications and more information on all of Aldi’s store positions can be found here

Team GB silver medallist Josie gave away complimentary bags of fresh fruit and vegetables from Aldi’s famous Super 6 range to the first 30 customers in the queue.

Josie will also deliver an inspirational virtual assembly for pupils at St Thomas Leesfield C of E Primary School after the half term break as part of the supermarket’s initiative, Get Set to Eat Fresh - which has already inspired over two million school children aged 5-14 years to learn more about the benefits of cooking fresh, healthy food with their families.

As Aldi has been fuelling Team GB with fresh, healthy food since 2015 through monthly vouchers, the silver medallist from Tokyo 2020 will focus on the benefits of eating healthy food and the importance of exercise and believing in yourself.

She will also talk to pupils about her experience of competing as an Olympian and share her challenging training regime.

Aldi Lees also offered pupils at St Thomas Leesfield C of E Primary School the opportunity to win a £20 gift voucher to spend at the new store.

The children were tasked with creating a poster to show what healthy eating means to them.

Josie will announce the winner during the virtual assembly and the pupil will be presented with their £20 voucher.

Store Manager Mr McManus, pictured (above) with his new team of staff, said: “It’s been a wonderful morning here at the opening of Aldi Lees.

" It was lovely to welcome our new customers into store, and I look forward to meeting more of the community in the coming weeks.

"I’m also thrilled that we are able to support St Thomas Leesfield C of E Primary School through our partnership with Team GB.”

Team GB star Josie added: “I’ve had a fantastic time opening the new Aldi this morning.

"It was an honour to officially open the store and welcome customers inside for the first time.

“I am looking forward to speaking with the children at St Thomas Leesfield C of E Primary School about the importance of eating healthily and how it can be fun to plan and prepare meals as a family.

"Hopefully I will inspire the pupils to keep active and try different sports.”

The new Aldi store offers large chillers and freezers dedicated to fresh, British meat products, a ‘Food to Go’ section at the front of the store, and an exclusive section full of Health and Beauty products.

Lees customers can also take a walk down the ‘Aisle of Aldi’, where they will find legendary Specialbuys which are available every Thursday and Sunday.

During opening week, the store will be offering a range of DIY and home essentials, including an electric garden blower and vacuum for £34.99, a multifunctional rotating LED torch for £4.99 and a 4v rotary tool for £14.99.

Additionally, the new Aldi store is calling on local charities and food banks in Oldham to register with Neighbourly, a community engagement platform that links businesses to charitable organisations in the local community. 

Local charities that register will be able to collect surplus food and perishable products, such as fruit, vegetables and baked goods, seven days a week.

Any charities in the area that would like to partner up with the new Aldi store should email: aldi@neighbourly.com

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