Last updated on August 16th, 2024 at 11:20 am
Shaun O’Keefe, Aldi regional VP based out of the company’s Jefferson, Georgia, distribution center, conducted a tour for journalists in mid-July at the company’s store on Peachtree Road in Atlanta’s Buckhead area.
Aldi currently operates 81 stores in Georgia, with 50-55 of them in the Atlanta area, depending on your definition of what the Atlanta market includes, he said.
O’Keefe said the company gained more than 700,000 customers in its 50 or so Atlanta-area stores last year.
“So, we’ve had quite a positive response here in the Atlanta market and really in the Southeast in general, but also across the whole country we’re seeing really positive response to Aldi, specifically when you look at the macroeconomic situation that most people are feeling with grocery prices,” he said.
The tour focused on how Aldi has structured its operations to help keep prices low but not sacrifice the quality of products.
In addition to the Georgia stores, the Jefferson distribution center also serves locations in the Greenville, South Carolina, and Asheville, North Carolina, areas, he added.
[RELATED: Aldi To Begin Winn-Dixie, Harveys Assimilation Process]
A store in East Ellijay, Georgia, opened in March, and the total in Georgia will increase to 82 on Aug. 8 when Aldi holds a ribbon-cutting for its new store at 1651 E. Victory Drive in Savannah.
O’Keefe said that while he couldn’t share exact details, Aldi is planning “a number of stores in Georgia for next year.”
He mentioned Aldi’s purchase of Southeastern Grocers in March and the company’s $9 billion investment in growth over the next five years that will yield 800 additional stores.
“Over half of those new stores will be in the Southeast. Of course, that includes Georgia,” O’Keefe said. “So quite a quite a bit going on.”
The purchase of SEG and its Winn-Dixie and Harveys banners, he added, “is a great opportunity for us to really grow quickly into a market where we have stores, where we have great loyalty, but we had opportunities to continue to build out our network of stores. That [acquisition] certainly advanced and accelerated that for us, which is really exciting. But we were already investing into our growth plan.”
O’Keefe said he’s been with the company for 18 years, and “we’ve never not grown in those 18 years.”
He said plans are to convert some of the Winn-Dixies, “but we will leave still a substantial amount of them as Winn-Dixies as well.”
Aldi’s expansion in the U.S. is great news for consumers looking for high-quality products at affordable prices. Their no-frills approach and focus on private label brands have already made them a favorite among budget-conscious shoppers. As they continue to grow, it’s exciting to see how they’ll shake up the grocery market, bringing more competition and choices to different regions. It’s also impressive how they maintain quality while keeping prices low, which is a big win for customers. Looking forward to seeing what new areas they expand into next!