ALDI has made itself known on the Gulf Coast as new stores have opened and a 564,000-square-foot regional headquarters and distribution center opened in Loxley Jan. 31.

Now, the brand will further its planned expansion with the acquisition of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket brands. On Aug. 16, ALDI announced that it had agreed to acquire Winn-Dixie and Harvey's Supermarket as part of a larger divestiture of Southeastern Grocers to various entities. In the deal, ALDI will acquire 400 stores in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida.

In January, Heather Moore, ALDI divisional vice president for the Gulf Coast region, spoke to the future expansion of the ALDI brand in our area.

"At a time when inflation is putting pressure on American wallets, we believe our mission to save people money on the food and products they need is more important than ever," Moore said. "We are thrilled to see so much customer love for the 20 stores we've opened in the Gulf Coast area in the last year alone. Once they see the quality, selection and value ALDI offers, they keep coming back. There's why we're committed to providing our customers the lowest possible price, and the best possible value — that's something that will never change."

The Loxley facility will serve over 8 million Gulf Coast residents, support as many as 100 stores in Alabama, the Florida panhandle, southern Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana and provide approximately 200 new jobs to the Loxley area and over 300 jobs in the Gulf Coast region.

"Like ALDI, Winn-Dixie and Harvey Supermarket have long histories and many loyal customers in the Southeast and we look forward to serving them in the years to come," said Jason Hart, ALDI CEO, in a statement. "The time was right to build on our growth momentum and help residents in the Southeast save on their grocery bills. The transaction supports our long-term growth strategy across the United States, including plans to add 120 new stores nationwide this year to reach a total of more than 2,400 stores by year-end."

Hart also stated that ALDI will operate Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores with the same level of care and focus on quality and service. In the statement, Hart said they will evaluate which locations to convert to the ALDI format.

"For those stores we do not convert, our intention is that these continue to operate as Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores," Hart said.

The sale is expected to close in the first half of 2024.