Aldi to open Shoreditch wine pop-up

Aldi is taking a turn for the trendy with the opening of a pop-up wine shop in Shoreditch Boxpark in East London.

An artist’s impression of the Aldi wine pop-up in Shoreditch Boxpark. The pop-up will open from 26-28 May (Photo: Aldi)

The first promotional activity of its kind for the discount retailer, the Aldi Wine Store supports the launch of Aldi’s online wine sales service.

Opening for three days – from 26-28 May – as part of London Wine Week, the pop-up will provide 20 wines from the Aldi range to sample and buy, as well as offering customers the chance to join free masterclasses hosted by Sam Caporn MW.

A wine and cheese matching masterclass will be held on Friday 27 May, while a ‘New World Classics’ and a ‘Sparking Wine Styles’ masterclass will be held on Saturday 28 May.

Staff will also be on hand to talk visitors through Aldi’s 117 reference-strong online wine selection, following the launch of the online offering earlier this year.

Aldi’s head buyer Mike James told the drinks business in March that, though it was still “early days”, the launch of the site had been received very positively by customers.

“It’s not just shoppers who have been impressed by Aldi’s wine offering over the last couple of years – the industry has noticed it too,” Caporn commented.

“Aldi’s wine range continues to go from strength to strength, and its new website means Londoners can pick up excellent quality wines, without the hefty price tag.”

Opened in 2011, Boxpark Shoreditch claims to be “the world’s first pop-up mall” (shopping centre) and houses a variety of creative businesses, cafes and a bar within converted sea containers.

Aldi is the UK’s sixth-largest supermarket with over 620 stores, over 28,000 employees and annual sales of over £7 billion.

Aldi offers its staff the highest starting pay in the supermarket sector, with a minimum of £8.40 an hour paid to all employees and more to those in London.

As well as being an official supermarket sponsor of London Wine Week, Aldi will also be the official supermarket partner of Team GB during this summer’s Olympic games in Rio.