Aldi adds to growth with store openings out west

Aldi’s reach is stretching out as the Batavia, Ill.-based company opened up a couple of stores out west.

The discount grocer cut the ribbon at locations in Glendale, Ariz., and El Cajon, Calif., on April 27. Both stores will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the first 100 customers received a gift card as part of the Aldi Golden Ticket gift card program.

Aldi, H-E-B, Publix and Grocery Outlet were the supermarket sector’s growth leaders in 2022, according to a recent report from professional services firm JLL. Aldi has been on a growth tear for the past several years and now has almost 2,300 locations. In 2022, the chain added 87 stores with 1.8 million square feet of new space.

Back in January 2023, Aldi announced the opening of a new regional headquarters at its 564,000-square-foot distribution center in Loxley, Ala., that will serve up to 100 Aldi stores. The opening highlighted the discount grocer’s newfound concentration in the southeast.

The new facility now serves stores across Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle, with the potential to reach more than 8 million customers, Aldi said.

The retailer has been expanding in the New Orleans area, for example, with openings in Metairie and Covington,, La., and several more planned. On its website Aldi also lists recent or upcoming grand openings in Mobile, Ala.; Bradenton, Fla., and McComb, Meridian and Starkville, Miss.

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Adli currently operates 30 stores in the Gulf Coast region, and opened 20 in 2022 alone. The company plans to add another 13 stores in the region in 2023, with the two openings in the west serving as part of the growth plan.