Aldi testing new store format in U.S.
Global grocery operator Aldi South Group is rethinking its store design with an eye to launching a singular retail concept that can be adapted to different building types and and formats.
The German-based discount grocer has been piloting a new store format in the United States for the past few months. Developed in partnership with Australian-based Landini Associates, the new Aldi design is “modularly adaptable” for different store formats and building types across each of the brand’s five diverse territories: the U.S., Australia, Germany, Hofer (Austria, Italy, Hungary, Slovenia & Switzerland) Ireland, and the U.K., according to a post on Landini’s website.
The redesign is the culmination of a 14-year collaboration targeted at modernizing Aldi’s physical retail presence while keeping the operational simplicity that underpins its low-price strategy, noted Forbes.
Trials of the new format started in late 2025, at Promenade Shoppes in Aventura, Fla., with further expansion in 2026. Aldi has been aggressively growing its footprint in the Sunshine State through both new builds and acquisition. In 2024, the grocer agreed to acquire about 400 Winn-Dixie and Harvey Supermarket stores from Southeastern Grocers, with locations throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.
The design for Aldi’s new global model were managed through the company’s International Real Estate Committee, under the leadership of Aldi USA and the day-to-day stewardship of Aldi Australia, with input from each of the five territories, Landini said.
The Aldi South Group operates more than 7,500 stores in 11 markets. It includes Aldi U.S., which has more than 2,600 stores nationwide.
[READ MORE: Aldi to open 180-plus stores in 2026]
In January, Aldi said it planned to open more than 180 new stores across 31 states this year, pushing it closer to its goal of 3,200 stores by the end of 2028. It also announced plans to open three new distribution centers within the next three years.
