German discount retailer Aldi has announced plans to invest EUR 350 mln to open 35 new stores in Ireland over the next three years. Aldi entered Ireland in 1999 and now has 59 outlets in the country, giving it a 4.5% share of the local grocery market. The retailer claims to have experienced a 20% increase in sales over the last year as the Irish economy has headed into recession.
As Ares completed a €325 mln French logistics acquisition from Blackstone, another French portfolio came onto the market.
