Aldi ready to expand in the Charlotte area with three more store openings planned
Aldi is planning to open three more stores in the Charlotte area this year as part of the company’s plan to become the third-largest U.S. grocer.
It’s also the latest move in Charlotte’s ever-competitive grocery store market
Aldi, a discount German grocery chain will open a new store at 8 a.m. Thursday on East Franklin Boulevard in Gastonia.
In November, Aldi will open a store on Laith Way in Cornelius, followed by another set to open in December on Charlotte Highway in Indian Land, S.C., said Krysta Cearley, Salisbury division vice president for Aldi.
Cearley said more details will be available closer to the opening dates.
“As the Charlotte population grows, ALDI is also continuing to expand its local footprint,” Cearley said. “Since opening our first Charlotte-area store in 1998, we’ve expanded to more than 30 stores.”
The three new stores will create a total of 50 jobs, according to the company.
The Gastonia store will be open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Many Aldi stores now offer curbside pickup and delivery.
The local store openings are part of the nationwide plan to open 70 stores nationwide by the end of the year, and become the third-largest U.S. grocery retailer by store count by the end of 2022, according to the company. The two largest U.S. grocers are Wal-Mart and Kroger, which owns Harris Teeter.
Aldi most recently opened a store in December on South Providence Road in Waxhaw, near Charlotte, featuring a new store layout.
Grocery competition
The Charlotte market is ripe with grocer competition.
Lidl is looking to open four more stores in Charlotte on South Boulevard, Carmel Commons, Mallard Creek Church Road and South Tryon Street in Steele Creek. The latter two stores are expected to open next summer, the Observer reported last month.
The low-cost German grocer has eight Charlotte-area stores, with the most recent opening in February on Margaret Wallace Road in Matthews. The first Charlotte Lidl store opened in December on Monroe Road. Other local stores are in Rock Hill, Indian Trail and Concord.
And Florida-based Publix announced in December its plans for the 28,000-square-foot space at the 10Tryon building on the northwest corner of Tryon and Ninth streets.
Harris Teeter, based in Matthews, opened an 81,028-square-foot Riverbend Village location on Smith Farm Road in Charlotte in November.
Three Bi-Lo stores in the Charlotte area in Lincolnton, Gastonia and Chester, S.C. will become Food Lions by April 2021, the Observer previously reported.
Southeastern Grocers is the parent company of Bi-Lo, Harveys, Winn-Dixie, and Fresco y Más. The Florida-based company this week announced two South Carolina Bi-Lo stores near Charlotte have been sold to Alex Lee Inc., The Herald newspaper in Rock Hill reported. The Rock Hill and Lancaster stores will be rebranded as KJ’s Market IGA.
Asheville-based grocer Earth Fare opened its Rock Hill store last month, The Herald reported. The natural and organic grocer has opened nine of 11 planned stores since re-opening under new ownership. Earth Fare filed for bankruptcy in February and closed all its stores, the Observer has reported.
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 11:41 AM with the headline "Aldi ready to expand in the Charlotte area with three more store openings planned."