Aldi announces plans for two more Charlotte area stores, with one opening next week

Discount grocer Aldi is ready to open two more stores in the Charlotte area with one set to open next week.

Aldi will open a new store at 9 a.m. Nov. 19 on Laith Way in Cornelius.

And next month, the German grocer will open a store on Charlotte Highway in Indian Land, S.C.

Last month, an Aldi store opened on East Franklin Boulevard in Gastonia.

All three new stores will create about 50 jobs, according to the company.

It’s all part of the company’s national expansion plan to become the third-largest U.S. grocery retailer by store count by the end of 2022, said Aldi spokeswoman Caroline Silva. Walmart, The Kroger Co. (which owns Harris Teeter), and Albertsons Co. (which owns Safeway) are the top U.S. grocers, according to foodindustry.com.

Aldi is investing more than $5 billion in new and remodeled stores across the country to grow from 1,700 to 2,500 stores in the next two years, according to the company.

The Cornelius store will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Aldi also opened a store in December on South Providence Road in Waxhaw, near Charlotte, featuring a new store layout.

The first Aldi in the Charlotte market opened in 1998, and now there are more than 30 stores, The Observer previously reported.

Growing grocery list

Other grocers are expanding in the Charlotte market, too.

Earth Fare opened its SouthPark store in Charlotte last month, following the opening of its Rock Hill store in August. The natural and organic grocer also reopened the Ballantyne store this week, the Charlotte Ledger business newsletter reported Friday. The Fort Mill store is expected to open by the end of the year, the Observer previously reported.

Hulsing Enterprises bought the Asheville-based company brand after Earth Fare filed for bankruptcy in February.

Lidl will open four stores in Charlotte on South Boulevard, Carmel Commons, Mallard Creek Church Road and South Tryon Street in Steele Creek. The latter two stores are expected to open next summer, the Observer previously reported.

Publix, based in Florida, has plans to move into a 28,000-square-foot space at Ten Tryon tower project being built at Tryon and Ninth streets.

Harris Teeter, based in Matthews, will reopen its 35,000-square-foot Park Road store early next year, which is undergoing major renovations.

Also, moving into the competitive market is Silicon Valley grocer Farmstead, a “dark store” online-only grocer. It plans to launch this month from a 30,000-square-foot warehouse on Westwood Forest offering free delivery within a 50-mile radius, the Observer reported.

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