Aldi opening 70 more stores this year
Discount grocer Aldi is embarking on the next wave of its coast-to-coast expansion.
On the heels of opening its 2,000th store, the fast-growing retailer, part of privately held German company Aldi Süd, plans to open more than 70 new stores by the end of the year. The new wave of expansion will bring Aldi to Arizona (its 37th state) for the first time, with four new stores in the greater Phoenix area.
In addition, Aldi will break ground on a regional headquarters and distribution center in Loxley, Alabama, in 2021. The new facility will serve new stores in southern Alabama, and throughout the Florida Panhandle, as well as Louisiana. (Aldi currently operates 180 stores in Alabama and Florida, with four regional headquarters and distribution centers in the area.)
With more than 2,000 stores across 36 states, Aldi said it is on track to become the third-largest grocery retailer (after Walmart and Kroger) by store count by the end of 2022. The company recently took top honors as the nation’s top value grocer, according to the Market Force Information Grocery Benchmark Study. Aldi also has been No. 1 for price for three years running, according to the Dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index Report, Grocery Edition.
"As we continue to expand, we promise to do everything in our power to offer the lowest prices, every day, without exception,” said Jason Hart, CEO, Aldo U.S. “In fact, as food costs are rising across the country, we're lowering prices on hundreds of items to meet our customers' increased need for savings."
In recent years, Aldi has invested more than $5 billion in a multi-year, nationwide growth initiative to update existing stores and to open hundreds of new locations. The company also increased its fresh food selection by 40% with a focus on new produce, meat and organic options, as well as easy to prepare foods.
Aldi has also expanded its e-commerce offerings and in May announced the accelerated rollout of curbside grocery pickup to nearly 600 stores by the end of July.