The German-based discount grocery chain Aldi is planning to 70 new stores in the United States by the end of 2020, putting on a path to control the third largest supermarket network in the country. It recently revealed that its total number of U.S. stores went over 2,000 putting it behind Kroger and Walmart. The company claims that its able to offer prices that are as much as 50 percent cheaper than the average supermarket, but shoppers have to bag their own groceries and bring a quarter with them if they want to use a shopping cart. Aldi is also big on private labels, owning more than 90 percent of all the brands it sells. Its incursion into the United State began in 1976, but the big push to market dominance began in recent years through a $5 billlion program of store remodeling. Aldi’s expansion comes at a time when thousands of stores are facing potential bankruptcy as a result of the pandemic.
