Colleagues at a County Durham store are celebrating joint milestones in their working lives with a supermarket company.

Deputy store manager Tracie Tray and assistant Vicki Hodgson are both mainstays of the team at Aldi’s Spennymoor store, having both joined the company in 1998.

The Northern Echo: Tracie Tray, left, and Vicki Hodgson both familiar faces at Aldi's Spennymoor store, have both

Ms Tray began her time with Aldi working as a quality control assistant at its Regional Distribution Centre, in Darlington, before moving to an in-store role in 2004.

Ms Hodgson, meanwhile, worked as an assistant at the old Cambridge Street store in Spennymoor for almost 25 years and transferred with colleagues to the new Oxford Road premises in the town, when it opened last year.

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Their time with the company has seen both taking part in many fundraising events for Aldi’s dedicated charity, the Teenage Cancer Trust, including bikeathons and book sales, as well as supporting fellow colleagues, and they are each considered an integral part of the store’s team.   

Well-known faces to current and serving staff and customers alike, both have helped Aldi to continue to grow and invest in the community over the years, as it became the UK’s fourth largest supermarket last year.

Commenting on her time with the company, Ms Tray said: “Fulfilling 25 years at Aldi has to be my biggest achievement.

“We have a great time in the store and I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else!”

Her equally long-serving colleague said: “Having been in the old Spennymoor store for almost 25 years, I felt so proud being here to open our new store.

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“All the customers know me by now and I’ve even bumped into a few on holiday.”

Sandy Mitchell, Aldi UK’s Regional Managing Director, paid tribute to the two Spennymoor store stlwarts.

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He said: “We are incredibly grateful to all of our colleagues and take great pride in celebrating their achievements.

“Colleagues like Tracie and Vicki have played a key part in our growth and success, and I would like to thank them for their contributions.

“Our colleagues allow us to connect with wider communities and continue to provide the high-quality service that customers keep coming back for.”