AUSTRALIA & U.K. - Aldi annouced some major leadership changes to its UK and Australasia divisions, appointing Joint Managing Director of Aldi UK Matthew Barnes to CEO of Aldi UK and Ireland while Group Managing Director of Aldi Australia Tom Daunt will take over as CEO of Aldi Australasia.

In his new position, Barnes will be responsible for overseeing Aldi's ambitious £600 million expansion plan which entails almost doubling its UK store base by the year 2021. The completion of this initiative would increase Aldi's store count from a little over 500 to 1,000, according to the Guardian.

Regarding the appointment of Daunt, there is some speculation that by choosing him Aldi is signaling its intent to expand into New Zealand. At this time, however, the retailer has released a statement saying it has "no immediate plans to enter the New Zealand market,” according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

While the legacy of his term as CEO has yet to be written, it is worth noting that Daunt spoke earlier this year of investing $700 million in order to construct two new distribution centers and stores in Australia. This would bring Aldi's Australian investment to almost $4 billion, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Congratulations on the promotion, Matthew and Tom!

Aldi