Aldi Süd is already active worldwide, but expansion in China is only just beginning. But that should change. The supermarket chain wants to grow there, first in Shanghai, then in the Yangtze River Delta and then beyond.
The food discounter Aldi Süd is planning hundreds of new stores in China. "China is and remains one of the most interesting markets in all areas and the rapidly increasing size of the middle class leads to huge potential in the food market," said Aldi China boss Roman Rasinger to the "Handelsblatt". So far, Aldi is only present in Shanghai. According to the company's website, the company operates 22 branches there.
The city with its 25 million inhabitants and the Yangtze River Delta with more than 100 million inhabitants are "currently a priority for Aldi," Rasinger told the newspaper. Aldi opened its first stores in Shanghai three years ago. The dealer has now gained so much experience with the new market that he can speed up further expansion, the report said. For Shanghai alone, Rasinger sees potential for a three-digit number of transactions.
But Aldi's plans went beyond that. There are numerous other megacities in the Yangtze River Delta, such as Hangzhou and Nanjing. "We are currently evaluating which city we will go to next," said Rasinger. Aldi has great potential to fill "white spots on the supply map".
Unlike in Germany, Aldi does part of its business in China through e-commerce and delivery services. Aldi Süd does not give sales figures in China. However, according to the report, market research firm WGSN estimates that the discounter should generate sales of 80 million US dollars (78.3 million euros) from its stores in China this year.
According to the company website, Aldi Süd operates several thousand branches in ten countries worldwide, most of them with 2150 in the USA. The company is also expanding in Great Britain. There are now 960 shops there. In Australia there are around 580. In their expansion, Aldi Süd and Aldi Nord are avoiding each other. So far, Aldi Nord has only spread in Europe. There are markets in Portugal, Spain, France, the Benelux countries, Denmark and Poland. Competitor Lidl is also active in many countries, in almost all European countries as well as in the USA and in China in Hong Kong.
