Aldi to open 100 U.S. stores in 2021

Aldi is expanding its footprint and adding a new regional headquarters to support its ongoing expansion.

The German discount grocer plans to add 100 stores in 2021, with the locations focused on Arizona, Florida, California and the Northeast. The company is also breaking ground on a regional headquarters and distribution center in Loxley, Alabama, that will support it expansion throughout the Gulf Coast region.

The 564,000-sq.-ft. facility is the company’s sixth distribution center in the southern U.S., and will be equipped to service up to 100 stores in Alabama, Southern Georgia, Mississippi, the Florida Panhandle and Louisiana, which will be the 38th state where Aldi operates. It is scheduled to open next year.

The Loxley facility will feature several sustainable building elements, including solar panels, LED lighting and an eco-friendly refrigeration system. With the distribution center in place, Aldi plans to open as many as 35 new Gulf Coast-area stores by the end of 2022, with the first two stores in Tallahassee, Fla. slated to open later this year. 

In addition, Aldi is planning to expand its curbside grocery pickup service to 500 additional stores by the end of the year, bringing the total number of curbside locations to more than 1,200. The grocer currently operates more than 2,000 stores across 37 states.

"We’re incredibly proud to continue growing in all aspects of our business, from opening new stores to enhancing our e-commerce offerings, especially in light of the challenges businesses have faced in the last year,” said Jason Hart, CEO, Aldi U.S. "Our commitment to our shoppers, new and existing, is the same — we will do everything in our power to offer the lowest possible prices every day — and we look forward to supporting more communities across the country with amazing Aldi products at a value that can't be matched."