ALDI plans 120-store expansion in 2023
ALDI is adding 120 new stores this year. At a time when inflation is forcing some retailers to slow growth, or even shutter stores, ALDI said customers are actively asking for more of its locations in their communities. Known for its unique shopping experience and selection of products at low prices, ALDI will have more than 2,400 stores nationwide by the end of the year.
“While inflation is undoubtedly driving unprecedented demand for affordable groceries, we know that once customers experience the ALDI difference, they keep shopping with us, even when the economy improves,” said Jason Hart, CEO of ALDI U.S. “Our growth is led by our customers, and they continue to want more ALDI locations coast-to-coast.”
This year’s planned expansion builds on a banner year in 2022. ALDI opened and remodeled 139 stores, welcomed approximately 9.4 million new customers and drove double-digit growth year-over-year as shoppers sought relief from soaring food prices. The grocer is on track to continue that momentum this year, opening 35 stores in the first quarter alone and welcoming 5.3 million new customers to its stores as of April 2023.
ALDI new store openings will span the continental U.S., including the rapidly growing Southeast region where ALDI recently opened its 26th regional headquarters and distribution center in Loxley, AL, to help support new stores in the area.
This year, ALDI will add stores in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, new markets for the grocer. The brick-and-mortar expansion is part of a larger omnichannel experience designed to make grocery shopping as convenient and enjoyable as possible, no matter how customers prefer to shop, whether in-store, through curbside pickup, or via delivery through shop.ALDI.us or through ecommerce partners DoorDash and Instacart.
As part of its larger commitment to sustainability, the grocer is enhancing new and existing stores with eco-friendly features, including installing rooftop solar panels and eliminating plastic shopping bags. ALDI is also implementing environmentally friendly refrigerants in its stores, an important move to reduce carbon emissions that earned the grocer recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency GreenChill program.
As part of this national expansion, ALDI will add nearly 2,000 new employees to support the additional store count.
