Aldi’s combination of very low prices, no-frills shopping, and curated selection of goods has been embraced by U.S. consumers over the past decade.
The hard-discount chain has expanded aggressively, doubling its footprint in the last decade, and setting a significant precedent in the volatile grocery industry.
Aldi U.S., BB #:116756 owned by German retail operator Aldi Süd, is about halfway through a $5.3 billion expansion effort to open 900 new stores and remodel 1,300 locations, for a total of 2,500 stores by the end of 2022. The goal is to attract 100 million customers monthly, up from 40 million today.
Phil Lempert, the Santa Monica, CA-based Supermarket Guru and publisher of The Lempert Report, says Aldi’s management has made no secret of their intention.
“They want to be the number-three grocery retailer in the United States, behind Walmart and Kroger, and I think they will,” he said.
The following series of articles look at Aldi’s strategy and future prospects at the U.S. retail market.
This is an excerpt from the most recent Produce Blueprints quarterly journal. Click here to read the full version.
