After more than three decades at Aldi U.S., Jason Hart has recently jetted off to become group COO of Aldi South in Austria.
For the last decade, Hart has helmed the discounter’s stateside operations as CEO. During those 10 years, Aldi has hit numerous milestones, from upping its sustainability game to announcing major acquisitions to becoming the fastest-growing grocer in the U.S.
Hart’s first job after graduating from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in 1993 was with Aldi, where he worked as a district manager trainee, according to his LinkedIn. From there, he quickly climbed the discounter’s ranks to become director of operations, vice president, then president and, finally, CEO, where he has been for the past decade.
Aldi named then-Chief Operating Officer Atty McGrath as Hart’s successor in late May. Similar to Hart, McGrath has spent her entire career with Aldi, signaling that the discounter trusts its own to continue carrying out its immense and rapid growth across the U.S.
Here’s a look back at some pinnacle Aldi moments during Hart’s time at the helm:
2015
After working for Aldi U.S. for 22 years and serving in various leadership roles, Hart was appointed CEO of the company in November 2014, with the role taking effect on April 1, 2015, according to a press release at the time. The discounter said this leadership change was part of its “early stages of accelerated strategic growth” as Aldi set out to bring its U.S. store count to nearly 2,000 by the end of 2018.
2016
Shortly after Hart’s first anniversary as CEO of Aldi U.S., the company met its goal of entering Southern California with the opening of eight Southland locations — the first of the 45 the grocer had slated for the region that year, the Los Angeles Times reported. These stores marked a milestone in Aldi’s five-year plan to debut 650 new stores across the country, a goal the discounter set for itself in December 2013.
2017
In June, Aldi announced plans to spend $3.4 billion to bring its store count up from just over 1,600 in the U.S. to 2,500 by 2022. This effort builds on the company’s plan announced earlier in the year to spend $1.6 billion to remodel 1,300 of its locations.
“We’re growing at a time when other retailers are struggling,” Hart said in a statement at that time about these expansion efforts.
2019
Just ahead of the holiday season, Aldi launched an initiative that leaned into its convenience offering: nationwide wine and beer delivery through a partnership with Instacart. This move built on Aldi’s tie-up with the delivery company, which began in 2017.
2020
With the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, Aldi announced in May plans to expand its curbside grocery pickup service to nearly 600 of its nearly 2,000 U.S. stores, adding to Aldi’s e-commerce momentum.
That summer marked a major milestone for Aldi under Hart’s reign: the opening of its 2,000th U.S. store. Aldi simultaneously kicked off its next wave of expansion, unveiling plans to open another 70-plus stores before the year’s end. These store openings in the back half of 2020 included entering Arizona. The discounter also started construction on a new regional headquarters and distribution center in Loxley, Alabama.
2022
In February, Aldi announced plans to open roughly 150 U.S. stores with a focus on adding dozens of locations on the Gulf Coast, as well as plans to expand curbside pickup to 300 more stores during the year. That same month, Aldi arrived in Louisiana, marking its 38th state.
2023
Continuing its rapid store growth, Aldi unveiled plans to open 120 stores in the U.S. throughout 2023 to bring its total store count in the country above 2,400.
That summer, Aldi agreed to acquire Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket from Southeastern Grocers for an undisclosed all-cash amount. The deal included approximately 400 stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.
2024
Shortly after disclosing that the Southeastern Grocers deal had closed, Aldi shared its target of adding 800 stores to its U.S. portfolio through a combination of new locations and store conversions by the end of 2028. The discounter also pledged to invest more than $9 billion over the next five years in its expansion plans.
Along with the store fleet growth, Aldi also started renovating and expanding its U.S. headquarters in Batavia, Illinois.
2025
At the start of the year, Aldi said it sold Southeastern Grocers and its Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket banners to a consortium of private investors led by Anthony Hucker, the current president and CEO of Southeastern Grocers, and C&S Wholesale Grocers. As part of the deal, Aldi offloaded roughly 170 Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores and Winn-Dixie’s liquor store business. At the time of the deal announcement, Aldi said it would convert 220 Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores it previously acquired into Aldi locations.
In August, Aldi confirmed its U.S. store count will reach around 2,600 by the end of 2025.
On Sept. 1, Hart became group COO at Aldi South in Austria to help oversee global operations and also joined Aldi South’s executive board. His term in Salzburg, Austria, will be for a minimum of three years, as he plans to return to Aldi U.S. after that, he said in a LinkedIn post in May.
