A brand new Aldi store in Biddulph opened its doors to customers this morning at 8am, with Team GB Olympic slalom canoeist Joseph Clarke cutting the all-important red ribbon alongside pupils from Knypersley First School.

The Tunstall Road store has replaced the pre-existing store on Mountbatten Way in Congleton and will be run by Store Manager Rob Ferrari Wade, along with a team of 30 colleagues from the local community.

In celebration, Team GB gold medallist Joseph Clarke gave away complimentary bags of fresh fruit and vegetables from Aldi's famous Super 6 range to the first 30 customers in the queue before delivering an inspirational assembly for pupils at Knypersley First School, as part of the supermarket's initiative, Get Set to Eat Fresh – which has already inspired over two million school children aged 5-14 years to learn more about the benefits of cooking fresh, healthy food with their families.

As Aldi has been fuelling Team GB since 2015, the gold medallist from Rio 2016 focused on the benefits of eating healthy food and the importance of exercise and believing in yourself. He also talked to pupils about his experience of competing as an Olympian and shared his challenging training regime.

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In addition, Aldi Biddulph offered pupils at the local primary school the opportunity to win a £20 gift voucher to spend at the new store. Children at Knypersley First School were tasked with creating a poster to show what healthy eating means to them. Joseph announced the winner, Lily Bedson, during the assembly and the pupil was presented with their £20 voucher.

Store Manage Rob Ferrari Wade said: "It's been a wonderful morning here at the opening of Aldi Biddulph. It was lovely to welcome our customers into the new store, and I look forward to meeting more of the community in the coming weeks. I'm also thrilled that we've been able to support Knypersley First School through our partnership with Team GB."

Team GB hero Joseph Clarke added: "I've had a fantastic time opening the new Aldi this morning. It was an honour to officially open the store and welcome customers inside for the first time.

"It was great to speak with the children at Knypersley First School about the importance of eating healthily and how it can be fun to plan and prepare meals as a family. Hopefully I've also managed to inspire the pupils to keep active and try different sports."

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The new Aldi store offers large chillers and freezers dedicated to fresh, British meat products, a 'Food to Go' section at the front of the store, and an exclusive section full of Health & Beauty products.

Biddulph customers can also take a walk down the 'Aisle of Aldi', where they will find legendary Specialbuys which are available every Thursday and Sunday. During opening week, the store will be offering a range of plush toy characters from Aldi's amazing new Christmas advert - including Kevin the Carrot, Ebanana Scrooge and Marcus Radishford. Aldi will donate £10,000 to Magic Breakfast from the sales of the Marcus Radishford toys.

Additionally, the new Aldi store is calling on local charities and food banks in Biddulph to register with Neighbourly, a community engagement platform that links businesses to charitable organisations in the local community.

Local charities that register will be able to collect surplus food and perishable products, such as fruit, vegetables and baked goods, up to seven days a week. Any charities in the area that would like to partner up with the new Aldi store should email [email protected].

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