Aldi to Add 100 New U.S. Stores, Expand Curbside Pickup

Aldi plans to open up about 100 new stores in the U.S. and expand its curbside pickup service, CNBC reported. The German supermarket chain hopes to add its curbside pickup service to 500 additional stores by the end of the year.

The new store locations will be concentrated in Arizona, California, Florida and the Northeast. With the curbside pickup expansion, the service will be available at more than 1,200 Aldi stores.

According to CNBC, Aldi still plans to offer grocery delivery through Instacart from most of its stores. Currently, Aldi has more than 2,000 stores in 37 states.

Total Retail's Take: Curbside pickup became an in-demand service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers were increasingly avoiding in-person shopping to help stop the spread of the virus, and experts are expecting shoppers to continue to seek out this option even as COVID cases decrease, now that they've discovered the convenience of the service. It's a good move for Aldi to expand this popular service for its customers, and it's a good sign for the grocer that it's opening new stores at a time when many retailers are having to shutter locations. The discount grocery chain is looking to leverage increased category demand, spurred on by the pandemic, to expand its physical footprint. Couple that with a burgeoning digital business, and Aldi is primed to continue its growth momentum in 2021.