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Aldi, a German family-owned discount supermarket chain, is set to open 150 new stores in the United States. It was said that the additional locations will also create at least 500 new jobs in the Southeast.
Aldi is building new supermarkets across the country stores and a distribution center is also in the plans for this year. Based on the report, the move is part of the company’s effort in expanding its footprint within the grocery business sector.
It was added that this is one of the chain’s strategies for its coast-to-coast expansion. One of the goals for the setting of 150 new stores is to become the third-largest grocery retailer in the U.S. by the end of this year.
According to Fox Business, Aldi has already built a branch in Lafayette, Lousiana and it will be inaugurated on Thursday, Feb. 10. It will be launching two more Gulf Coast groceries in early March then gradually adding another 20 stores around the Southeast by year-end.
It was revealed that Aldi is also putting in investment to build a 564,000-square-foot regional distribution center in Loxley, Alabama. New stores are then expected to open in Mississippi, Alabama, throughout Louisiana, and the Florida Panhandle.
Grocery Drive noted that after establishing 70 stores in 2020 and additional 100 outlets in 2021, Aldi is now stepping up its store opening schedule. This is all part of its expansion plans that was temporarily halted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is nothing like watching shoppers discover ALDI for the first time,” ALDI U.S. chief executive officer, Jason Hart, said in a press release. “There’s a moment of surprise when they realize just how much they can save by shopping with us. We can’t wait to share that experience with more customers as we add new stores across the Southeast.”
Finally, to keep up with the expected growth, Aldi will also be hiring new workers. It was mentioned in the release that it will be recruiting 300 people to be its store associates and another 200 for the company’s warehouse.
