America’s fastest-growing grocery chain, Aldi, wants to open 180 new stores this year
The German grocer is doubling down on its American ambitions, aiming for 3,200 stores by 2028.
America’s fastest-growing grocery chain is hoping for another record-setting year. On Monday, Aldi announced plans to open more than 180 new stores across 31 states this year, which would push its store count in its biggest overseas market to nearly 2,800 locations by the end of the year.
The German grocer’s remarkable American expansion stands out in recent years next to other discount grocers, where competition has been fierce for some time. Data from JLL Research reveals that Aldi has been the fastest-growing grocer from 2022 to 2024, and archives of each company’s website — our best estimate for up-to-date store counts — suggests that this trend continued last year, with Aldi appearing to add 167 stores from January 1 to December 31, 2025, ahead of Publix, which added ~40 locations over a similar time frame.
All deez stores, please
Aldi’s been working hard to open as many stores as possible, but it’s also found success just buying its way to its goals with a string of acquisitions, most notably acquiring 400 stores under Winn-Dixie and Harvey’s Supermarket from Southeastern Grocers in 2024. It has since converted nearly 90 of these locations into Aldi stores and plans to continue doing so, as it strides toward 3,200 stores by 2028.
In an increasingly K-shaped economy, Aldi’s value offering has resonated with consumers of all brackets. In September it revealed its largest-ever packaging rebranding of its private-label products, and millions of passionate customers have taken to Reddit and Facebook to brag about their red 50% discount stickers... or add another to the “Aldi Aisle of Shame.” Those fans will soon be able to indulge their Aldi desires in a giant 25,000-square-foot store near New York’s Times Square.
But the truth is, Aldi needs its American bet to work. Its home business is in a tight competition with another German discount grocer, Lidl, one with such a similar business model to Aldi’s own that one urban myth once claimed their founders were brothers. Though that’s untrue, their ongoing rivalry has long shaped Aldi into its current form, especially in the US — as the company has accelerated its expansion since Lidl’s own entry into the country.
