Aldi has started handling fruit and vegetables at its Bardon Distribution Centre in Leicestershire, marking the next phase in the operation of the retailer’s £500 million automated warehouse.
The first pallets of fresh produce, including ginger and avocados, arrived at the site on 16 September, with the first outbound pallet leaving the following day.
Operations at Bardon began in May, with the facility forming part of Aldi’s £1.6 billion investment in Britain during 2026 and 2027.
Once fully operational in 2027, the 1.3 million sq ft site will handle more than 1.5 million kg of fruit and vegetables a day during peak periods, with more than 6,000 pallets of fresh produce expected to leave the distribution centre daily for Aldi stores across the UK.
The site uses automated technology supplied by Cimcorp, designed to move fresh produce through the distribution centre while maintaining the different temperatures required for products such as salad leaves, bananas and soft fruit.
The fresh produce operation includes three dedicated temperature-controlled areas, including chilled storage for products such as apples and carrots and a specialist banana room.
In the chilled chamber, pallets are moved into high-bay racking and automated shuttles retrieve them when they are required for store deliveries.
Aldi said the investment will increase capacity across its distribution network as it works towards its long-term ambition of operating 1,500 stores in the UK.
When fully operational, Bardon is expected to employ around 1,000 colleagues and have capacity to handle almost seven million pallets annually.
Aldi, which describes itself as the UK’s third biggest retailer of fresh produce, sells an average of 2.2 billion fruit and vegetables each year, including more than 300 million bananas, 80 million apples and 160 million potatoes.
In July 2026, the retailer sold 2,250 tonnes of British apples, making it the biggest customer of domestic apple growers, according to Aldi.
It is also targeting a 14 per cent increase in the number of portions of fruit and vegetables sold by the end of 2027.
Jonathan Heaton, regional managing director for Bardon at Aldi UK, said the start of fresh produce operations marked a “step change” in how the retailer serves customers.
“Fresh produce is a vital part of our customers’ shopping, yet it presents one of the most complex challenges in grocery logistics, with products needing to move quickly and efficiently from suppliers to stores to maintain freshness,” he said.
“The technology we’ve implemented with Cimcorp allows us to handle enormous volumes while maintaining the precision and care that fresh products demand.”
Heaton added that the investment would reduce the cost of moving products from suppliers to stores, supporting Aldi's ability to offer low prices while maintaining the availability and quality of fresh produce.