SUPERMARKET company Aldi has confirmed its planned April opening for its Whitchurch store has been postponed because of the coronavirus.

The store, which is currently being built at the junction of Wrexham Road and the A41 near McDonald's, was set for a celebrity opening on April 2 with former Team GB Olympic gold-medalist winning cyclist Joanne Rowsell.

However, the company says it has put the opening on hold as it looks to support current branches which have come under pressure from panic buying across the country as people begin to self-isolate in the UK.

An Aldi spokesperson said: “In light of the current unprecedented demand, we have made the decision to postpone the opening of the Whitchurch store, to enable us to focus our efforts on serving our existing stores during this challenging time.

“Our amazing colleagues have been working tirelessly to restock our stores, and this will remain our key priority, ensuring our warehouses and stores have sufficient stock throughout this period.

"We would like to thank you for your patience, and will confirm an opening date in due course."