Aldi to open 800 more U.S. stores by decade’s end

Discount grocery chain Aldi announced Thursday its plan to open 800 new stores in the U.S.

The massive expansion by the European-based grocer is set to cost the company $9 billion, with the stores being built over the next five years.

While the company didn’t release specific locations for the new stores, it did indicate they will open nationwide. It plans to bolster its presence in the Northeast and Midwest and add locations in California, Arizona and Nevada.

Some locations will be built using the bones of stores bought by Aldi such as Winn-Dixie and Harvey’s Supermarkets. At least 50 of those stores will be converted to the Aldi brand by 2025, with some keeping their original name.

The expansion comes as many Americans find their weekly grocery bills suffocating.

Aldi says its prices are half as expensive as traditional grocery stores, with many of its products being Aldi branded.

Aldi is far behind other U.S. grocery stores in reach, yet regulators’ suspension of Kroger’s multibillion-dollar merger with Albertsons could give the German-based company the opening it needs. With the expansion, Aldi will have about 3,000 U.S. stores, 2,000 fewer than Wal-Mart.