Aldi, the international discount supermarket chain headquartered in Germany, aims to add more than 650 stores to its roster in the United States over the next five years. Plans call for the Batavia, Illinois-based American operation to build a new regional headquarters and distribution center in Moreno, California.
The company has announced that it intends to accelerate the pace of new store openings to approximately 130 per year, up from an average of 80 in recent years. Aldi plans to invest $3 billion to acquire land and pay for facilities and equipment. When the expansion is complete, it will have stores from coast to coast serving more than 45 million customers per month in the USA. An estimated 10,000 new jobs at stores, warehouses and division offices are expected to be created in the process.
“We’re ramping up our expansion plans to meet growing demand for Aldi from customers across the country,” said President Jason Hart. “Recently, we successfully entered new markets such as Houston, and expanded our presence in competitive markets like South Florida and New York City.”
Since opening its first store in the United States back in 1976, the company has achieved steady growth entirely through organic expansion. Aldi currently operates nearly 1,300 units across 32 states and employs more than 18,000 people. Globally, it conducts business at over 4,600 stores – primarily in Europe, North America and Australia.
More than 90% of products sold at Aldi bear exclusive own labels, rather than national or regional brands. Among its private labels are Sea Queen fishery products, Season’s Choice frozen vegetables and fruits, Kirkwood chicken, Mama Cozzi’s pizza, Fit & Active cheese steaks and meatball sandwiches.
In early 2014 Aldi will launch a new SimplyNature private label, featuring all-natural and organic ingredients. The range will include frozen pizza and various snacks, among many other offerings.
