Discount supermarket Aldi is looking to open a fourth site in Chester as part of an expansion drive.

The retailer already has three stores in the city, on Parkgate Road, on Bumpers Lane and on Tarvin Road in Boughton.

As part of its annual trading update, the UK's fourth largest supermarket chain has announced it wishes to invest £1.4 billion into the UK, creating three new shops in Cheshire.

The Cheshire locations are Chester, Helsby and Wilmslow, as Aldi seeks to grow from 1,000 shops to 1,500.

The retailer said it is searching for freehold town-centre, edge-of-centre, and retail park sites suitable for property development. The sites should be able to accommodate a 20,000 sq foot store with around 100 parking spaces. Ideally the location will be near a main road with good visibility and access.

The new stores, it is stipulated, must also be a minimum of 1.5km from any existing Aldi stores.

The supermarket will also be investing in the development of new and expanded distribution centres, including its new distribution centre in Leicestershire.

Richard Thornton, communications director at Aldi UK, said: “The areas we’ve identified in our latest list are places where there is demand for stores and we are committed to continue investing until we can bring our quality products and unbeatable prices to as many people as possible.”

Anybody who has a site that may fit Aldi’s requirements should contact info.nationalproperty@aldi.co.uk.

Giles Hurley, chief executive officer of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “Although inflation is easing, households are still under real pressure from higher living costs.

“As a result, Britain is shopping very differently to how it did 18 months ago – fewer trips, more own label products, and switching supermarkets in search of better value.

“What we’re seeing is a new generation of savvy shoppers who’ve turned their back on traditional, full-price supermarkets in favour of transparent, low prices, which is what we’re famous for.

“That’s why we’re still welcoming more and more customers through our doors – people who come to us for our low prices but stay for the award-winning quality of our exclusive brands.”

Earlier this year, Aldi overtook Morrisons as the UK’s fourth largest supermarket chain following its strong period of growth.