Start saving those quarters — you’re going to need them for renting shopping carts.
On March 7, Aldi announced plans to add 800 stores nationwide by the end of 2028, meaning there will be more chances for folks to score fried apples, special sauces, baked goods and Advent calendars than ever before. Over the next five years, the chain says it plans to utilize a combination of new openings and store conversions to achieve its goal.
Aldi currently has 2,361 locations in 38 states. Washington, D.C., Florida and Illinois boast the most locations with over 200 locations each, while states like Montana, Utah and Nevada currently have none — for now.
Aldi said it plans on investing more than $9 billion on this expansion, including adding nearly 330 stores across the Northeast and Midwest. The chain says it also will expand westward by adding more stores in Southern California and Phoenix, Arizona, as well as its first stores in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“With this commitment to add 800 stores in the next five years, we’ll be where our shoppers need us while positively impacting the communities we serve,” said Aldi CEO Jason Hart in a press release.
Hart also said that Aldi has added hundreds of stores per year across the country. In 2021, the chain had a 100-store expansion that opened locations in Arizona, California, Florida and the Northeast.
Aldi also announced that it finalized its acquisition of Southeastern Grocers, which consists of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets. That move, which was first announced in 2023, will drive its growth in the Southeast United States over the next few years, the chain said.
The chain also plans on converting “a significant number” of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets to Aldi supermarkets over the next several years, with the first switch-overs starting this summer. Fifty locations will convert in phases during the latter half of 2024, and a majority of those stores will reopen as Aldis in 2025.
While the chain might be converting your local supermarket to an Aldi by this time next year, it says a “meaningful amount” of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets will continue to operate as normal.
