The ACT has accepted all 15 recommendations in the review into supermarket competition policy, opening the way for supermarket stores such as Aldi.
The review acknowledges that the current land use planning and land release policies need to be more flexible to enable supermarket operators to access new store sites.
David Zalunardo, Aldi managing director (Prestons Region) congratulated the ACT Government for commissioning the review and its interest in encouraging greater choice and grocery price competition for the people of Canberra.
“The primary obstacle to Aldi rolling out more stores in the ACT has been our inability to identify and access correctly zoned sites,” he says.
“Over the next decade, Aldi would like to significantly expand its current store numbers in Canberra – but this can only happen if planning and land release policies allow us to access sites for new stores.”
Aldi also welcomes the decision to introduce a new land use planning and zoning framework for supermarkets in the ACT as well as consideration of direct land sales to nonincumbent operators like Aldi to establish stores in new areas of Canberra.
Aldi currently operates seven stores in the ACT including Conder, Kippax Holt, Macquarie Jamison, Tuggeranong, Canberra CBD (Civic), Gungahlin and Weston.