Earlier this month Aldi announced a major product expansion to go along with its ongoing efforts to open new stores and upgrade existing locations. With the product expansion, slated to roll out early next year, Aldi says 20% of items in every store will be new when compared to the product mix during the same time one year prior.
The effort will focus on fresh, organic and easy-to-prepare offerings, and will boost the store’s selection of fresh food by 40%. For instance, Aldi says it will have more ready-to-cook and organic fresh meat, a bigger assortment of produce, such as ready-to-eat sliced fruit and organic selections, and new vegan and vegetarian options such as kale and quinoa burgers, and chickenless patties and tenders.
Aldi also plans to offer a broader array of grab-and-go items like single-serve guacamole and organic hummus, fresh fruit and vegetable packs, fresh organic salsa, antipasti salad, as well as more drinks and refrigerated beverages. The retailer also said it will have one of the nation’s largest selections of private label milk alternatives.
“We’re in the middle of a five-year growth program, where we’re opening over 800 stores to get to just under 2,500 stores by the end of 2022,” said CEO Jason Hart. “We’re spending a lot of money on that: $3.4 billion invested into new unit growth and $1.9 billion into the existing network of stores to remake the shopping experience, to give it a modern market feel and a little more space. We’re adding about 20% more square footage to the stores.”