Fifty years ago, Aldi crossed the Atlantic to open its first stateside location. The store, located in Iowa, opened in 1976, 14 years after the Albrecht family debuted the brand in Europe, according to Aldi’s website. Aldi 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 worked hard to earn since it debuted stateside. As early as the 1990s, Aldi was looking at large-scale growth, aiming to open hundreds of stores and enter new markets in the span of just a few years. This continued into the 2000s and 2010s. The discounter’s most recent decade in the U.S. has been defined by yearly store growth of around 100-200 stores, the appointment of a new CEO and regional acquisitions.
But Aldi isn’t all business all the time. The company has also garnered a reputation in recent years for fun and youthfulness, whether through stylish swag or hopping onto social media trends.
To celebrate 50 years of Aldi U.S., here’s a timeline recounting the discounter’s stateside milestones.
Aldi’s defining moments in the U.S.
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1976Aldi opens its first U.S. location in southeastern Iowa.
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1990sAldi U.S opens 300 new stores and launches new divisions across the Midwest.
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Early 2000sAldi U.S. adds another 220 stores to its footprint and opens divisions in Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
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Late 2000sAldi U.S. opens 340 more stores and expands its footprint “across the United States, from Connecticut and Florida, to Texas and California,” the discounter stated on its website.
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December 2013Aldi announced a five-year strategic plan to open 650 storefronts across the U.S. by opening approximately 130 stores per year — a significant uptick from its average of 80 stores per year. Aldi said it 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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November 2014Aldi announced Jason Hart’s promotion from Aldi U.S. president to the stateside company’s CEO, effective April 1, 2015.
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February 2017Aldi said it would invest $1.6 billion to upgrade and expand 1,300 stores by 2020. The new format was 20% — or 3,000 square feet — larger than existing stores and included improved wine sections, a bigger baked goods section and more prominent produce placement.
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June 2017Aldi 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.
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August 2017Aldi partnered with Instacart to offer online shopping and one-hour delivery in the Los Angeles, Dallas and Atlanta markets. The discounter 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.
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July 2020Despite 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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February 2022Aldi announced 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.
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August 2023Aldi 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.
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March 2024Aldi 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.
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November 2024Against the backdrop of acquisitions and store growth, Aldi renovated and expanded its U.S. headquarters in Batavia, Illinois.
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February 2025Aldi sold Southeastern Grocers and its Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket banners to a consortium of private investors. The discounter let go of roughly 170 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores to the consortium along with Winn-Dixie’s liquor store business. The discounter 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.
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May 2025Aldi named Chief Operating Officer Atty McGrath as its next CEO, adding that Jason Hart would become group COO at Aldi South in Austria and join Aldi South’s executive board.
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January 2026Aldi began this year stating it plans to open over 180 new locations. The company added that, leading up to 2028, its growth will center on entering Colorado and opening stores and distribution facilities in the South and Southwest.
