Aldi

Aldi arrived in the UK back in 1990 and is now Britain’s fourth-largest supermarket, with over 1,050 stores and more than 45,000 colleagues. In addition to its growth, Aldi is also an award-winning employer, recently being crowned The Grocer Gold Employer of the Year – with the supermarket acknowledging that without the amazing work of its colleagues, achievements like this just wouldn’t be possible. Aldi recognises that it’s people and their diversity strengthen the business, and in 2021 launched its diversity and inclusion strategy called Embrace, to creative positive changes from the inside out.

Third year students or recent graduates can apply for Aldi’s Area Manager Programme, renowned for the £50,750 starting salary rising to £95,655, fully expensed electric BMW for personal and work use, and incredible level of responsibility. Through the support of a dedicated training programme and network of experienced colleagues, graduates will become responsible for a portfolio of stores after they complete their extensive training. They will shadow an experienced Area Manager mentor and take charge of their own area for a short period, leading their teams to provide an outstanding customer experience and deliver exceptional performance.

Area Managers will spend time with other departments also, equipping them with a 360-degree view of the business. As personnel leader to their store teams, Area Managers coach and lead their teams to success. Supporting large volumes of colleagues within their area, the ability to motivate and drive their teams is essential. Once they are ready, graduates will take on their own designated group of stores and hit the ground running for a rewarding career.

For penultimate year university students, Aldi offer 12-month long placements across the UK. The Retail Management Placement offers a pathway to the Area Manager Programme. Students will spend six months in store, shadowing the Store Manager and Area Manager, learning what it takes to run a successful store. Students will then take on a national project – solving real-life business problems.