In 1913, a small grocery was opened in Essen, Germany, by Anna Albrecht.
In 1948, Albrecht's sons Karl and Theo took over the business and expanded it to four stores throughout Germany. The stores were called "Albrecht Discount."
The name "Albrecht Discount" was eventually shortened to Aldi in 1962.
In the mid-1960s, the company was divided in half because of a disagreement over whether it should sell cigarettes. Theo Albrecht controlled the stores in northern Germany, and Karl Albrecht controlled the stores in the south. The two stores were known as Aldi Nord, which does sell cigarettes, and Aldi Sud, which does not.
By 1968, there were over 200 Aldi Sud locations. Aldi Sud is the chain expanding in the US, while Aldi Sud and Aldi Nord are both expanding overseas. The stores are still separate.
The first US Aldi store opened just a few years after, in 1976, in southeastern Iowa.
In 1979, Theo Albrecht purchased the Trader Joe's chain, expanding the Aldi brand's influence in the US. Aldi Nord still operates Trader Joe's in the US.
By 1999, Aldi had locations in Great Britain and Ireland, with locations in Australia, Slovenia, Hungary following in the next decade.
By 2011, Connecticut, Florida, Texas, and Georgia all had Aldi stores.
Part of why the chain is so popular is that its products are relatively inexpensive. One way the chain keeps its prices so low is by selling mainly private-label products, much like its sister company Trader Joe's.
It also limits store size and hours ...
... and has a cart-rental system in place to eliminate time spent retrieving carts.
Currently, Aldi has over 1,600 stores across 35 states — nearly double what the chain had a decade ago. There are also thousands of locations globally.
By the end of 2022, Aldi plans to have nearly 2,500 stores open in the US. It's on track to become the third-largest grocery in the US by store count, behind Walmart and Kroger.
