Pwllheli’s brand-new Aldi has opened its doors, creating 24 new jobs for the town.

The Caernarfon Road store is the first Aldi to open in Pwllheli and will be run by Store Manager Kel Hughes, along with a team of 23 colleagues.

Team GB rugby silver medallist Sam Cross officially opened the new store alongside pupils from Ysgol Abererch.

Sam gave away free 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 Ysgol Abererch pupils as part of the supermarket’s initiative, Get Set to Eat Fresh. The initiative has already inspired over 2.5 million school children aged 5-14 to learn more about the benefits of cooking fresh, healthy food with their families.

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

Aldi Pwllheli also offered pupils at Ysgol Abererch the opportunity to win a £20 gift voucher to spend at the new store. The children were tasked with creating a poster to show what healthy eating means to them. Sam Cross announced the winner during the assembly and the pupil was presented with their £20 voucher.

Store Manager Kel Hughes said: “It’s been a wonderful morning here at the opening of Aldi Pwllheli. It was lovely to welcome our new customers into 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 Ysgol Abererch through our partnership with Team GB.”

Sam Cross said: “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 Ysgol Abererch 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.”

The new Aldi store offers large chillers and freezers dedicated to fresh, Welsh meat products, a ‘Food to Go’ section at the front of the store, and an exclusive section full of health and beauty products and much more.

Additionally, the new store is calling on local charities and food banks in Pwllheli 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, seven days a week. Any charities in the area that would like to partner up with the new store should email [email protected].

The store on Caernarvon Road is open Monday-Saturday, 8am-10pm and Sunday, 10am-4pm.