Last updated on February 9th, 2017 at 11:22 am
Aldi plans to remodel more than 1,300 U.S. stores by 2020, costing the retailer an estimated $1.6 billion, the company said Wednesday. The grocery chain says the upgraded stores will deliver “on its customers’ desire for a modern and convenient shopping experience with a focus on fresh items, including more robust produce, dairy and bakery sections.” Aldi, based in Germany, operates more than 1,600 stores in the U.S., across 35 states.
In the last few years, Aldi says it has added a number of new product lines that have quickly become customer favorites, including the liveGfree brand of gluten-free foods, SimplyNature products featuring many organic items and a full line of premium baby items under the Little Journey brand. Remodeled stores also will feature a modern design, open ceilings, natural lighting and environmentally friendly building materials—such as recycled materials, energy-saving refrigeration and LED lighting.
“With this significant investment in our stores, what we’re really doing is continuing to invest in Aldi customers,” said Aldi CEO Jason Hart. “We’re continuing to expand our fresh offerings, which means we need to provide more space for produce, meat and bakery items. We’ve also made a number of improvements to our products—such as removing added MSG, certified synthetic colors and partially hydrogenated oils from all of our Aldi exclusive brand foods. But one thing that hasn’t changed is that our customers still save money on the groceries they buy the most.”
Aldi notes that it is embarking on the remodel program while continuing to implement an accelerated growth plan to open 650 new stores across the U.S. By the end of 2018, the company expects to operate nearly 2,000 stores. As previously announced, Aldi will invest more than $3 billion to pay for land, facilities and equipment to open these new stores.
As part of its expansion, Aldi launched its first stores in Southern California last year, opening 34 stores since March 2016.
