Aldi had an impressive year in 2024. The discount supermarket opened nearly 120 stores, earning the title "third-largest grocery chain by store count in the U.S.," according to a Feb. 7 news release from the company. Data also shows that more than one in four American households get their groceries at Aldi, a 50 percent increase in foot traffic from pre-pandemic.
And while rival Trader Joe’s popularity continues to soar, the company says "more shoppers are flocking to Aldi than ever before." It’s clear from recent news that Aldi plans on riding this momentum out well into 2025.
RELATED: Trader Joe's Is Opening 13 New Stores This Year—Here's Where.
As part of its "five-year national growth strategy," Aldi will open more than 225 new locations this year—getting the company one step closer to reaching its goal of operating 3,200 stores nationwide. Over half of these stores will be brand-new to Aldi’s footprint portfolio, meaning they aren’t remodels (i.e. existing stores needing a facelift) or store conversions. This solidifies the chain’s organic growth model, which has been increasing with consumer demand for years now.
However, approximately 100 of the 225+ new locations will be converted Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores that Aldi acquired as part of a merger agreement with Southeastern Grocers in Aug. 2023. A total of 220 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket locations will be converted to the Aldi format by 2027.
Originally, 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores, specifically located in the Southeast, were included in the acquisition. But Aldi has since off-loaded 170 of those locations to a consortium of investors, C&S Wholesale Grocers, and Southeastern Grocers senior leadership to "create a focused conversion portfolio in the Southeast."
"When we announced our acquisition of Southeastern Grocers, we shared that we intended for a meaningful number of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets to continue to operate, and we’re delivering on that promise while also supporting ALDI growth," Aldi CEO Jason Hart said in a statement.
"Over the last year, we’ve seen firsthand how C&S Wholesale Grocers, Southeastern Grocers and their teams have continued to deliver great quality, service and value to their customers, and we are confident they will lead the company successfully into its next chapter," he continued.
RELATED: Costco Is Opening New Locations—Here's Where and When.
As for the remaining Southeastern Grocers stores, an Aldi supermarket conversion is "critically important to our nationwide commitment to help shoppers fill their carts with quality groceries for less," Hart explained.
He added that he believes "the value Aldi delivers can’t be beat."
And there’s exciting news for West Coast shoppers: Aldi is expanding its footprint in Southern California and Arizona, and has plans to open its first-ever Las Vegas location, per the press release. More Aldi stores will be popping up in the Northeast and Midwest, too.
"ALDI continues to see more shoppers come through our doors as they experience our quicker, easier and more affordable shopping experience firsthand," said Hart. "With our expansion across the country, ALDI is earning the trust of more shoppers in more communities than ever before, bringing us closer to becoming America’s first stop for groceries."
