Aldi’s 50 years in the US: A timeline

Aldi celebrated 50 years in the United States this year, marking a half-century of expansion from a single location in Iowa to a national presence. The discounter opened its first stateside store in 1976, 14 years after the Albrecht family launched the brand in Europe. The company entered the U.S. before expanding to neighboring European countries like England, Ireland, Slovenia and Hungary. Today, Aldi U.S. is regarded as the country’s fastest-growing grocer, a title it has earned through aggressive expansion strategies over the decades.

Aldi U.S. opened 300 new stores and launched new divisions across the Midwest. The company added another 220 stores to its footprint and opened divisions in Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. In a major push, Aldi U.S. opened 340 more stores and expanded its footprint “across the United States, from Connecticut and Florida, to Texas and California.”

The discounter announced a five-year strategic plan to open 650 storefronts across the U.S. by opening approximately 130 stores per year. This was a significant uptick from its average of 80 stores per year. Aldi aimed to reach nearly 2,000 stores by 2018. The company launched this expansion effort with the decision to build its regional headquarters and distribution center in Moreno Valley, California, as part of its entrance into Southern California.

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Aldi announced Jason Hart’s promotion from Aldi U.S. president to the stateside company’s CEO, effective April 1, 2015. The company said it would invest $1.6 billion to upgrade and expand 1,300 stores by 2020. The new format was 20% larger than existing stores and included improved wine sections, a bigger baked goods section and more prominent produce placement.

Aldi announced more spending, this time a total of $3.4 billion to grow its store count to 2,500 stores across the country by 2022, adding close to 200 stores per year over the next five years. The discounter partnered with Instacart to offer online shopping and one-hour delivery in the Los Angeles, Dallas and Atlanta markets. Aldi said at the time that this move was a pilot run and it would carefully consider whether it would expand the offer into other cities.

Recent acquisitions and growth

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Aldi U.S. still managed to surpass its goal of having 2,000 stores and announced its next wave of expansion: opening more than 70 locations by the year’s end. These stores would bring Aldi into the greater Phoenix market as well as further its Gulf Coast presence. The discounter also announced plans for a new distribution center in Loxley, Alabama.

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Aldi announced its plans to open around 150 stores in the U.S. as well as expand curbside pickup to 300 additional stores. The discounter added that this growth would focus on the Gulf Coast and that the Loxley, Alabama, facility would officially open this year. Aldi also stated it would enter its 38th state: Louisiana.

Aldi announced its plans to acquire Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets from Southeastern Grocers. The deal included approximately 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, encompassing 75% of the chains’ grocery locations.

It is rare for a retailer to take over another company’s entire banner, but the sheer scale of this deal suggests a strategy of rapid market penetration rather than a long-term commitment to the brands involved. For the customers of Winn-Dixie and Harveys, the transition meant adjusting to a sudden shift in ownership and brand identity, as the familiar storefronts would eventually disappear to make room for the Aldi name.

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Aldi said it would invest more than $9 billion over the next five years to add 800 stores across the country by the end of 2028. It focused on strengthening its presence in the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast while also moving into new markets.

Against the backdrop of acquisitions and store growth, Aldi renovated and expanded its U.S. headquarters in Batavia, Illinois. The discounter sold Southeastern Grocers and its Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket banners to a consortium of private investors. Aldi let go of roughly 170 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores to the consortium along with Winn-Dixie’s liquor store business. Aldi said it would convert 220 Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores it previously acquired into Aldi locations. Aldi added that this move was part of its strategy to open a record-breaking 225-plus stores in 2025.