In 1976, ALDI opened in the U.S. with several stores in southeastern Iowa. Currently, there are more than 1,000 U.S. ALDI stores that are offering the public substantial savings from Kansas to the Eastern Seaboard. ALDI was ranked 25th in 2008 by Supermarket News for U.S. grocery chains, in terms of gross sales. Their philosophy is a less-is-more attitude to grocery retailing. According to their website, everything they do is an effort to create savings so considerable they will affect their daily living.

About ALDI

The first ALDI store opened in Southeastern Iowa in 1976. The way the company has operated has continuously been honed and refined. They have been committed to bringing food to customers at lower prices than the competition. In fact, compared to other supermarkets, their stores seemed tiny. Yet, they are able to provide shoppers with a select assortment that brings satisfaction to customers.

As time passed, the store began experimenting with Special Buy items, and their selection began to include more refrigerated and frozen foods. They also began accepting debit cards, and they instituted Sunday hours. Today there are over 1,000 ALDI stores spread across 31 states. There are also ALDI stores in Europe and Australia. An ALDI store now carries about 1,400 regularly stocked items that include fresh meat and in certain locations, beer and wine. After all these years, their core concept remains “honest to goodness savings.”

Stats

Annual Sales – By the end of the fiscal year 2010, the company reached $6.6 billion in total sales.

Number of Employees – the company employs approximately 30,000 people

Store Locations

Currently there are 1,054 stores in the United States in 30 U.S. states. They are spread out over the mid-west and Eastern states.

Almost 95% of their products are sold exclusively under ALDI select brands. One of the company’s brands, Fit ‘n’ Active, was developed as an exclusive line of healthier foods designed for active lifestyles. Another brand, Grandessa Signature is a gourmet product line. There are more than 50 products from which to choose. Some of them include:

  • Sweet Harvest – pantry items, canned goods
  • Clancy’s – snack items
  • Choceur Chocolates
  • Summit – soft drinks
  • Welby over-the-counter wellness products

ALDI assures the highest quality to their customers. In fact, if a customer is unsatisfied, ALDI offers a Double Guarantee, which means that they will replace the product and refund your money.

Corporate Responsibility

ALDI strives to reduce its harmful effects on the environment. To show the customers their efforts they place a green box on each package showing how much of the packaging was recycled and how to go about recycling it. They also use symbols on their products to help customers make an informed decision on what they are buying. ALDI is a proud partner of the USDA. The website provides customers with recipes that were created based on “My Plate.” the new standard for balanced nutrition in the United States. The websites also provides tips on how to use “My Plate” to eat healthier.

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