German discounter Aldi plans to invest some $9 billion with the aim of opening around 800 new outlets in the United States by the end of 2028, the company reported from its US headquarters in Batavia in the state of Illinois on Friday.
Aldi recently completed a takeover of US retailer Southeastern Grocers and its Winn-Dixie and Harveys supermarket chains.
Some of the 400 outlets in the south-eastern US would be converted to Aldi branches over the years ahead, the company said on Friday, while others will continue trading under their current names.
The US outlets are part of the Aldi Süd group based in Mülheim an der Ruhr in Germany. The company is reported to have turned over €16.9 billion ($18.5 billion) net in the US in 2022.
Over recent years, Aldi has opened more than 100 outlets per year in the US for a total of more than 2,200. Its main competitor in Germany, Lidl, has fewer than 200 in the US.
Aldi is currently expanding in Britain, investing €644 million this year. It has not released how many outlets it is planning.
Aldi's founders, Karl and Theo Albrecht split the company into two independent units in 1961: Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd. Aldi outlets in France, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain are part of Aldi Nord, while Aldi Süd has expanded into Britain, Italy and Australia.
Both companies are active in the US, with Aldi Nord trading under the name Trader Joe's. The first Aldi outlet in the US opened in 1976.