Aldi Is Taking Over Hundreds Of Southeast Supermarkets

Aldi fans can rejoice, for their fave supermarket chain is about to be much easier to find! Yes – Aldi is expanding its stores in a big way, and that means the German supermarket chain will have quite a few more locations by 2025. Aldi first arrived in the Southeast U.S. circa the 1990s, and it opened its 26th regional headquarters in Alabama recently. It's clear that the chain is interested in becoming even more popular in this area, since the company has already invested a whopping $2.5 billion into expanding throughout the region.

Now, the chain has purchased almost 400 Winn-Dixie locations and Harvey's Supermarkets. The acquired stores are located in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi, though the vast majority of locations — nearly 300 — are located in Florida. This new pending purchase comes after an announcement that the grocery chain will be opening over 100 new stores, with a goal of nearly 2,500 brand-new locations in the next year alone. It's clear that Aldi's goal to expand all over the country is in full swing, which means you'll soon be seeing quite a few more of these popular grocery stores. 

Whether folks are frequent Aldi shoppers or not, the grocery chain's expansion is likely to attract consumers' attention. The chain is known for the many steps it takes to achieve especially low prices. There's never a bad time to save some money on groceries, but we can all agree that now is a particularly good time. And as grocery prices skyrocketed and food inflation reached new heights, Aldi's prices actually dropped this summer. 

Still, if the possibility of a lower grocery bill isn't easing the pain of losing your go-to Winn-Dixie to this major sale, we have some good news for you. Despite Aldi's purchase, the company will be leaving the store layout in many of the Winn-Dixie locations it's acquired, as well as the stores' current branding. In a statement, Aldi CEO Jason Hart, explained, "The time was right to build on our growth momentum and help residents in the Southeast save on their grocery bills. The transaction supports our long-term growth strategy across the United States." If this move means more customers will be seeing extra savings — or at least that they'll have more options when it comes to grocery store brands — then it's certainly an exciting one.