German-grocer ALDI opened its first New Orleans-area location in Slidell, Louisiana on June 2nd. It is one of 150 new U.S. stores the grocer plans to open in 2022. ALDI has allotted at least 20 new stores for the Gulf Coast region including of Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana. ALDI is the fastest growing grocer in the nation, both in terms of the number of new stores and of square footage according to a report by commercial real estate analysts Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). In 2021 the company opened 88 new stores with the square footage totaling over 2.2 million square feet of retail space. By comparison, the second fast-growing conventional chain Publix added 1.3 million square feet of novel retail space.
The first ALDI opened in Louisiana in February 2022 in Lafayette, and the company is planning to open more stores in New Iberia, New Orleans, and Baton Rouge this year. “We’re proud to be opening our first store in the New Orleans area and can’t wait for area shoppers to come discover ALDI for the first time,” said Heather Moore, Division Vice-President for ALDI. “We offer easy access to affordable fresh food and household essentials as well as a great selection of regional items.”