Budget supermarket chain, Aldi, has confirmed that it will be introducing a new e-commerce service next year which will allow customers to carry out safe shopping online, according to the Telegraph.

While the retailer will initially be using its new site to sell a limited number of products, with home delivery options available, it is also committing to an ambitious plan to offer non-food items for sale over the course of 2016.

Aldi’s in-store sales have risen by almost a third in the past year, spurred on by the increased interest in low cost groceries. And its rise, along with the ascent of Lidl, has proven problematic for established supermarket chains, including Tesco.

Aldi is intending to sell everything from consumer electronics to furniture from its e-commerce site, with consumers then having the option to get items delivered direct to their doors, or to arrange to collect their orders from a number of predetermined points across the country.

While it may seem like Aldi is very late to the game when it comes to safe shopping online, there is still growth in this market and the firm chief exec, Matthew Barnes, explained that it has already generated significant interest from existing customers.

In the past 12 months, Aldi has managed to get 14 million Brits to spend their money within its stores and if it is capable of transferring this audience over to its fledgling e-commerce platform, then it is likely to see sales success.

Its low cost ethos has been problematic when it comes to profits, since the company’s aggressive price cuts have seen these squeezed in recent months. But with a plan for growth both online and on the high street, Aldi is set to cause yet more upsets for established rivals in the retail sector.