Aldi is moving ahead with an aggressive U.S. expansion plan, betting that more shoppers will keep trading down and cooking at home rather than dining out as worries about the economy persist.
The discount grocery chain said it plans to open more than 180 new stores this year, expanding while more Americans adjust their shopping routines amid anxiety over the nation’s economic conditions. Aldi’s U.S. operations are based outside of Chicago, and the company began expanding rapidly soon after inflation spiked in 2021. Aldi then opened a record number of new stores last year, according to the company’s recent growth pace.
Even as food inflation has slowed, it remains elevated. U.S. data cited in the report showed food inflation up 2.4% last year, and up about 25% since the pandemic. On Tuesday, the U.S. Labor Department said grocery prices jumped 0.7% in December from the previous month and that price hikes accelerated faster in 2025 than in the previous two years.
Several categories continued to show pressure on household budgets. The report said beef and veal prices climbed 1% from November and are up 16.4% from last year. Coffee prices increased 1.9% over a month and are up almost 20% compared with a year earlier, while egg prices dropped 8.2% in December, continuing a decline after surging last year following a bird flu outbreak.
The report also tied consumer concerns to political messaging about inflation. It said Donald Trump’s campaign message about inflation and his promises to lower prices immediately if elected have rankled some Americans who feel inflation has not been a priority for the administration.
A separate survey also pointed to broad impact. The report said the vast majority of U.S. adults told the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research that they have noticed higher-than-usual prices for groceries and electricity in recent months.
Aldi said it is seeking market share as more families trade down to cut costs. The report said many Americans are dropping trusted name brands for cheaper store brands and changing where they shop, moving from longtime grocery patterns toward discount or thrift stores. It said that shift has benefited bargain chains including Dollar General and Dollar Tree.
While the report said the trading-down shift began before Trump’s trade war started, it also said the change appears to have accelerated over the past year.
Aldi has laid out its store-growth targets over multiple years. In 2024, the company said it planned to open 800 new stores by 2028. It also announced plans to open a record 225 locations in the U.S. last year. For the next phase, Aldi said it will add distribution centers in Florida, Arizona and Colorado, and that it remains committed to investing $9 billion in the U.S. through 2028.
The company also described state-level ambitions including opening more than 50 stores in Colorado within the next five years and planning to double its Las Vegas store count by 2030. Under the expansion, the report said Aldi would reach almost 2,800 stores by the end of the year, putting it closer to a goal of 3,200 stores by 2028.
The expansion underscores competitive pressure in grocery retail. The report said traditional grocers face pressure from bargain chains and massive retailers such as Walmart, along with players like Amazon. In December, the report said Amazon stated same-day perishable grocery delivery had been expanded to more than 2,300 cities and towns, and that it has more expansion plans for this year.