Aldi to open standalone wine pop-up store in east London

The 'futuristic' store consists of glass wine displays and stations lined with tablets

This year it has beaten Waitrose to be crowned supermarket of the year at the Drinks Retailing Awards

Aldi is to open its first standalone wine store as demand for its wine range soars.

The pop-up Aldi Wine Store, open from Thursday May 36, will be located in Boxpark, Shoreditch.

The high tech store consists of wine displays and stations with tablets where customers can order their favourite bottles to be later delivered directly to their door.

Shoppers will also be able to “try before they buy” with a resident sommelier on hand to guide them in their choices.

Free masterclasses including an introduction to pairing wine with cheese and how to identify characteristics of wines will be on offer on a first come, first basis for visitors wanting to up their knowledge of the drink.

Unfortunately Aldi’s customers will have to be quick as the store will only be open for three days until May 28, as part of London Wine Week.

A spokesperson for Aldi told the Independent that the retailer could “potentially” open a permanent store in the long run if this one proved successful. But for now the aim was just to “get Aldi's wine in front of Londoners.”

“Our store, open for three days, represents our dedication to opening up the world of Aldi wine to all - allowing customers both new and existing, to try before they buy either in store or online,” said Tony Baines, joint managing director of corporate buying at Aldi.

The launch comes as the retailer’s online wine offering has proven popular with 100 bottles of its Exquisite Collection wines sold every hour in the UK.

This year it has beaten Waitrose to be crowned supermarket of the year at the Drinks Retailing Awards.

Aldi has made its first foray into online shopping with a wine delivery service launched in January this year.

It started its online offering with 90 wines, including rose and sparkling wine with plans to expand the operation to include cycling wear, electrical items, camping equipment and clothing later this year.

Aldi currently operates over 630 UK stores and plans to open a further 83 this year. It aims to reach 1,000 stores by 2022.