Dive Brief:
- Aldi announced Monday a slew of expansion efforts, including opening over 180 new locations this year.
- The discounter added that, leading up to 2028, its growth will center on entering Colorado and opening stores and distribution centers in the South and Southwest. The grocer also plans to update its website with more tools for shoppers.
- Aldi continues to expand at a rapid pace, and last year reached its goal of debuting more than 175 stores.
Dive Insight:
Aldi’s announcement lays out goals for 2026 as well as benchmarks for the next few years as the discounter buckles down on its nationwide expansion.
This year, Aldi aims to open more than 180 new stores across 31 states, bringing its U.S. footprint to nearly 2,800 locations. The announcement noted this is a significant step toward reaching its previously announced goal of operating 3,200 locations by the end of 2028.
Aldi plans to convert approximately 80 Southeastern Grocers storefronts to the Aldi format this year and aims to have over 200 converted by the end of 2027. Aldi has so far converted nearly 90 of the stores it acquired from its purchase of Southeastern Grocers in 2024.
The discounter also plans to enter Maine this year with a store in Portland, marking its 40th state. Phoenix will also gain 10 Aldi stores this year as part of the company’s westward expansion efforts, with a goal of having 40 new stores in that metropolitan market by 2030.
Over the next five years, Colorado will play a significant role in Aldi’s ambitious growth plans, gaining 50 new stores during that span as well as a distribution center projected to open in Aurora in 2029. Its first stores in the state will include ones in the Denver and Colorado Springs markets within the next two years, Aldi said.
Aldi also said it plans to double its store count in Las Vegas — a market it entered in 2025 and currently has four stores in — by 2030.
Aldi expects to open a distribution center in Baldwin, Florida, in 2027 and one in Goodyear, Arizona, in 2028. Along with the three new distribution centers, Aldi said it will expand its distribution center in Haines City, Florida, to include a new chilled center for perishable foods, which will help support its operations in the Southeast.
2026 will also be a year of digital renovations for Aldi, with a new website slated to launch sometime early this year. The discounter is currently redesigning its website to offer a more seamless online shopping experience as well as help customers plan their in-store trips and locate products they need, according to the announcement. The website will also offer product recommendations for easy reordering, expanded nutritional information, shoppable recipes and meal planning tools.
Aldi noted that these updates will make curbside pickup easier and added that the new website will offer the option of home delivery.
Aldi’s footprint currently consists of more than 2,600 stores across 39 states and Washington, D.C.
