Aldi says its Farnborough Way store in Orpington will open before the end of 2026, on the old Frankie & Benny's site and a year later than first promised.

Aldi will open its new Orpington store before the end of the year. The supermarket put Orpington on its list of stores due to open “between now and Christmas” in a release on Friday (Aldi UK, 2 October).

Aldi’s own new store openings page names it as the Farnborough Way, Orpington West store. It is one of nearly 30 stores Aldi plans to open or relocate across the UK in the next ten weeks. Aldi has not yet published an opening date.

Where it is

The store is being built on the site of the former Frankie & Benny’s on Farnborough Way, the A21, postcode BR6 7DH. It is in the Farnborough and Crofton ward, about four miles south-east of Bromley town centre.

Bromley’s planning register records application 23/00848/FULL1, made on 3 March 2023 (PlanIt). It sought permission to:

  • demolish the existing buildings
  • build a food store
  • lay out a surface car park, with a new access and landscaping

The Development Control Committee granted permission on 29 February 2024, subject to a section 106 legal agreement (Bromley planning register).

A year later than first promised

This is not the first time Aldi has named Orpington.

  • January 2025: Aldi listed Orpington as one of four London locations “set to benefit from a new Aldi store in 2025” (Aldi UK, 17 January 2025).
  • April 2026: “Orpington West” appeared in a list of eight new London stores planned for 2026 (Aldi UK, 20 April 2026).
  • June 2026: Orpington was among stores “opening in the coming months” (Aldi UK, 16 June 2026).
  • October 2026: it is now on the list of stores opening before Christmas.

Aldi has not said why the 2025 target slipped.

Timeline of the Aldi store at Farnborough Way, Orpington. 3 March 2023: application 23/00848/FULL1 to demolish Frankie and Benny's and build a food store and car park. 29 February 2024: permission granted by Development Control Committee subject to a section 106 agreement. 17 January 2025: Aldi names Orpington among four London locations for 2025. 20 April 2026: Orpington West listed among eight new London stores planned for 2026. 2 October 2026: on Aldi's list of nearly 30 openings in 10 weeks, before the end of 2026.
From planning permission to opening, from Bromley's planning register and Aldi's releases. Graphic by Bromley Online
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What it means for you

  • Shoppers in Farnborough, Locks Bottom and Orpington get a discount supermarket on the A21 before Christmas. Watch Aldi’s new store openings page for the date.
  • Jobs: a new store means hiring. In June Aldi said store assistants inside the M25 are paid £14.88 an hour, rising to £15.20 with length of service (Aldi UK, 16 June 2026). Vacancies are listed on Aldi’s careers site.
  • Opening hours will be set by the store and the planning conditions. Aldi has not published them yet, and we will add them when it does.

We will update this story when Aldi confirms the opening date. For other plans in the borough, see our planning applications page.