DISCOUNT supermarket Aldi is planning to step up pressure on rival grocery chains, including Bradford-based Morrisons, by opening more than 60 new stores next year.

The UK boss of the German retailer - which, along with its discounter counterpart Lidl, is biting into the market share of Morrisons and its traditional competitors - also said discounting by the mainstream supermarkets has helped Aldi by focusing customers' attention on price.

Following £176 million of annual losses in 2013 , along with falling sales and market share, Morrisons announced a three-year £1 billion turnaround plan which includes slashing the price of 1,200 products by an average of 17 per cent.

There were signs that Morrisons plan is working in the latest Kantar Worldpanel industry figures showed that Morrisons' market share remains under pressure, with sales down by 1.3 per cent although the rate of decline has slowed considerably as its fresh food promotional voucher scheme has taken effect.

Aldi, which has local stores in Bradford, Shipley, Keighley, Skipton, Halifax and Batley, opened 42 new stores last year and is on course to open 54 this year, with another 60-65 new stores planned for 2015. This will take total UK store numbers to more than 600, keeping it on course to have 1,000 by 2022.

Aldi has already announced plans for a new superstore near Bingley railway station which is set to create up to 25 jobs.

The latest store expansion target was revealed as Aldi announced UK sales of £5.3 billion for 2013, a rise of 36 per cent on a year earlier. Pre-tax profits were 65 per cent higher at a new record of £260.9 million.

The performance has helped Aldi to grow its market share to 4.8 per cent in recent weeks.

Managing director Matthew Barnes said the pace of growth quickened in the first half of this year, despite the efforts of the major supermarkets in cutting their prices in response to the squeeze on household incomes and competition from the likes of Aldi, Lidl and Waitrose.

Mr Barnes said: "The price cuts have encouraged consumers to think more about what supermarkets charge and have really shown that our everyday low prices can't be beaten."

It recruited 9,000 new members of staff in the UK in 2013, including more than 291 apprentices and 165 graduates.The company expects to have more than 7,000 new workers in 2014, including 500 apprenticeships and160 graduate positions.

Mr Barnes said: "In addition to new store openings,we'll be upgrading existing stores to meet customer demand. We're investing over £600 million in our operations over the next two years to support this growth."