February new grocery openings: Aldi is again the leader

Aldi, which is opening seven new stores in seven different states on Thursday, once again celebrated more grand openings than any other grocer tracked by WGB in February.

Of the 17 store openings during the short month, Aldi accounted for four of them. BJ’s Wholesale Club opened two locations.

February appeared to be a significant slowdown from January, which saw 29 new grocery stores.

A December report from commercial real estate and property investment firm Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) found that Aldi opened more stores than any other U.S. grocer retailer in 2022, with 49 locations. Runner-up Grocery Outlet opened 28 stores.

Other notable openings in February included H-E-B’s Lake Austin store, its first two-story location, as well as the massive Ollie’s Bargain Outlet in Champaign, Illinois.

Have a new store opening announcement? Please send it to WGB Editor-in-Chief Heather Lalley at [email protected].