Aldi to open 180 new stores in 2026. There's big plans for Florida

• Aldi plans to open over 180 new stores nationwide in 2026 as part of its 50th anniversary in the U.S.
• The company will continue converting former Winn-Dixie and Harvey's Supermarkets, with many new locations in Florida.
• A new distribution center is planned for Florida, and the company will also launch a redesigned website.

Aldi launched more than 60 new and converted stores in Florida in 2025 as part of a push to open 225 stores nationwide.

On Jan. 13, the discount grocery chain announced that as part of its 50th anniversary in the United States it'll be keeping that momentum going in 2026 with more than 180 new stores nationwide and three new distribution centers, including one in Florida.

“One in three U.S. households shopped at ALDI this past year, and in 2026 we’re focused on making it even easier for customers to shop our aisles first,” said Aldi U.S. CEO Atty McGrath in a release. “That means bringing ALDI to even more neighborhoods, upgrading our website and planning additional distribution centers to keep our shelves stocked with the products our shoppers love.”  

If they hit their mark, the no-frills, German-based chain famous for low prices and store-brand goods will operate nearly 2,800 stores in the United States, the release said, close to its long-term goal of 3,200 stores by the end of 2028.

Aldi also announced it will be launching a redesigned website in early 2026 to feature more personalized recommendations, expanded nutritional information, shoppable recipes, and built-in tools to "support shoppers in meal planning for their weekly shop." The company also plans to expand delivery partnerships with Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber Eats.

The moves come a few months after Aldi announced it would be rebranding all of its private label merchandise with its own name for the first time, either with a new namesake brand or with “an ALDI Original” on the label. More than 90% of Aldi's stock is private label.

More new Aldi stores coming to Florida?

While new locations have not been released, the company said it plans to continue converting nearly 80 Southeastern Grocers locations. Aldi briefly acquired that company, which operated Winn-Dixie and Harvey's Supermarkets, in 2024. A consortium of private investors led by Southeastern Grocers former CEO bought back many of those stores last year, with Aldi keeping the stores they had planned to convert.

Many of those were in Florida, with grand openings in Bradenton, Bushnell, Homosassa, Lakeland, Leesburg, North Fort Myers, Ormond Beach, two in Port Charlotte, Port Saint John, Saint Johns, Sarasota, Seminole, Tampa and Venice in December alone. Most of the Aldi stores opened in the Sunshine State last year were former Winn-Dixie locations.

Aldi also announced plans to expand in new markets such as Maine, Colorado and Phoenix and continue its expansion in Las Vegas.

Where are the new Aldi locations opening in Florida?

There's a grand opening Thursday, Jan. 22 in Deerfield Beach at 2301 W. Sample Road, Building No. 2.

Several more Winn-Dixie conversions in Florida are still ongoing, including locations in Sebastian and Vero Beach, Daytona Beach Shores, DeBary, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce, Hobe Sound, Micco, another in Jacksonville, three more in Pensacola, Port St. Lucie, Stuart and more.

Aldi to open new Florida distribution center, expand another

With that many more stores, Aldi will need more distribution centers in the next three years, the release said. The first will be in Baldin, Florida, projected for a 2027 opening.

The other two will be in Goodyear, Arizona (projected 2028) and Aurora, Colorado (projected 2029).

"ALDI is also expanding its distribution center in Haines City, Fla. to include a new chilled center for perishable foods," the release said, "allowing ALDI to deliver even more of the fresh meats and produce shoppers want across the Southeast."

Winn-Dixie ready to focus on Florida

Meanwhile, The Winn-Dixie Company (which includes the remaining Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores in the South that were bought back by Southeastern Grocers LLC) has plans to increase its focus on Florida, where the chain that became Winn-Dixie was founded in Miami in 1925.

The company announced in October plans to shutter all of its stores outside of Florida and Georgia and begin remodeling dozens of existing locations and new store projects into more community-friendly stores with a larger liquor store portfolio, more store-branded products such as the return of Lip Lickin' Chicken in early 2026, and conveniences customers have come to expect from other chains such as third-party online grocery delivery and return kiosks.

In September, Winn-Dixie launched a pilot program for grocery delivery through Amazon for shoppers in Jacksonville and Orlando.

Winn-Dixie celebrated its 100th anniversary in September.

C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida's service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.