Aldi announced that it is on the lookout for new store locations in Wiltshire – including Swindon and Royal Wootton Bassett.

The UK’s fifth-largest supermarket has been on an expansion drive as it targets having 1,200 stores open by 2025.

Aldi already has three branches in Swindon, opened its first branch in Royal Wootton Basset last December and has been given approval for a new store in Highworth after months of discussions – and even more could be on the cards.

Mayor of Highworth Julia Bishop said: “The new Aldi will be good for the town. It’s definitely happening but because of various things that have been going on, it’s not going to be built until next spring.

“Whenever we discussed plans for it in our meetings, there was always a huge amount of support for it from the people of Highworth.

“The Co-op does a good job but people like to have more choice. Faringdon has four supermarkets but Highworth’s options are more limited at the moment.

“It’s funny, when I pop into the Stratton Aldi, I see a lot of people from Highworth, so I think the new shop will be welcomed.”

Further afield around Wiltshire, the supermarket hopes to open shops in Calne, Devizes, Bradford on Avon, Malmesbury, Marlborough, Warminster, Salisbury.

Aldi has more than 880 stores across the UK and has identified nine new locations where it is looking for freehold town-centre or edge-of-centre sites suitable for development.

Each site should be around 1.5 acres and able to fit in a 20,000 sq ft store with around 100 parking spaces, ideally on a prominent main road and with good visibility and access routes.

The supermarket’s national property director Ciaran Aldridge said: “Aldi is growing rapidly and we are welcoming around a million new customers into our stores every year.

“But there are also hundreds of towns across the UK where there is not an Aldi, meaning there are hundreds of thousands of people who can’t easily access the high quality, affordable food our customers love. We are willing to explore all opportunities, including developer-led schemes or existing retail units.”