Attention bargain shoppers: Discount grocery chain Aldi is opening 120 new locations this year — and expanding into more markets.
In an April 28 statement announcing the expansion, the company said it plans to open stores coast to coast, spanning the continental U.S. The statement named Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and New Orleans as two new markets for the company, noting Aldi’s “rapid” growth in the Southeastern U.S.
This growth isn’t all new. Aldi shared in the statement that this year’s planned expansion will build on a “banner year in 2022” that included opening 139 stores and greeting about 9.4 million new customers. The budget grocer has already opened 35 new stores in the first quarter of 2023.
Aldi is considered a small-format grocer but is growing its footprint in a big way. According to a JLL retail report, the grocer is the third largest by store count, with a current total of 2,270 stores as of February 2023.
With the new stores will come new employment opportunities.
“As part of this national expansion, Aldi will add nearly 2,000 new employees to support the additional store count,” reads the statement. The company says they offer “an employee-focused culture and above-average industry pay.”
The grocer is known for its great deals on food and ever-changing aisle of miscellaneous or seasonal decor items, clothing and more. The chain draws a loyal enough following that several couples have had engagement photos taken at the stores and one lucky couple even got hitched at Aldi’s Batavia, Illinois, headquarters in 2022.
Discount groceries may seem like a good choice amid rising inflation, but Aldi’s CEO Jason Hart believes there’s more to the store’s popularity than that.
“While inflation is undoubtedly driving unprecedented demand for affordable groceries, we know that once customers experience the Aldi difference, they keep shopping with us, even when the economy improves,” Hart said.
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