New accounts show Aldi Stores (Ireland) Ltd recorded the pre-tax loss as revenues increased by 1pc to €2.12bn.
Revenue growth compared to an increase of 3pc in 2023.
The pre-tax loss of €20.1m followed a pre-tax profit of €16.82m in 2023.
In their report, the directors point to the post tax loss of €21m and state that “the reduction in profit reflects the company’s resolute focus on putting colleagues and customers before profits”.
“The company made substantial investments to keep prices low for customers, in addition to further investment in staffing and remuneration,” the said.
The directors state that “the company has played a particularly important role for customers in respect of the ongoing cost of living crisis through its provision of high quality, affordable groceries”.
They state that the period under review “was another year of growth and investment in which the company made progress in line with its long term strategy”.
The directors state that the company invested €92m in the acquisition of tangible fixed assets to improve and increase the
company’s store and distribution network, resulting in the opening of two new stores and this followed six store openings in 2023.
Last month, Aldi opened its 165th store here with a new store in Monaghan and also served its one billionth customer here since arriving in Ireland in 1999.
The firm recorded an operating loss of €19.09m and net interest costs of €1m resulted in the pre-tax loss of €20.1m.
The firm recorded a post tax loss of €21.18m after a corporation tax charge of €1m is taken into account
The loss also takes account of non-cash depreciation costs of €36m and lease rental charges of €18.28m. The firm recorded gains of €7.3m from foreign exchange differences.
At the end of December 2024, the company had shareholder funds of €807m including accumulated profits of €307m.
The directors state that “they believe the company’s strong financial position will help support future growth of the business”.
The most recent figures from Worldpanel by Numerator show that Aldi had a 11.4pc share of the grocery market here.
Numbers employed by Aldi Ireland increased by 89 to 4,769 as staff costs rose 12pc from €196.79m to €221.24m.
Directors’ pay declined marginally from €1.86m to €1.8m made up of €1.66m in aggregate emoluments and €138,000 in pension contributions.
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