"The discount grocery chain Aldi is expanding rapidly and plans to open more than 180 U.S. stores this year as more Americans skip nights out at restaurants and cook at home due to anxiety over the nation's economy. The chain, with U.S. operations based outside of Chicago, went on an expansion tear soon after inflation began to spike in 2021 and opened a record number of new stores last year."
"Aldi has sought to snap up market share as more families trade down, meaning they are changing where they shop to cut costs. Americans are dropping trusted name brands for cheaper store-brands and swapping out the places they've shopped for years in favor of discount or thrift stores. It's been a boon for national bargain stores chains like Dollar General and Dollar Tree."
Aldi is expanding quickly in the U.S., planning to open more than 180 stores this year after opening a record number last year. Expansion accelerated after inflation spiked in 2021. Many consumers are cooking at home and skipping restaurant nights because of economic anxiety, increasing demand for discount grocers. Food inflation has risen about 25% since the pandemic and remained up 2.4% last year; grocery prices rose 0.7% in December with faster price acceleration reported in 2025. Consumers are trading down to store brands and discount retailers, benefiting chains like Dollar General and Dollar Tree. Specific items such as beef, coffee and eggs show notable month-to-year price swings.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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