Aldi has entered a deal to buy US grocery chains Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket as part of a larger divestiture of Southeastern Grocers’ businesses.
The Batavia, Germany-based discount supermarket chain said it is “doubling down” on its expansion plans as it positions itself as one of the fastest-growing grocers in the US. The Southeast-focused acquisition includes approximately 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket locations across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Some of the acquired locations will be converted to the Aldi format while it will continue to operate the remainder as Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores, it added.
"The time was right to build on our growth momentum and help residents in the Southeast save on their grocery bills,” Aldi CEO Jason Hart said in a statement.
“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."
Aldi noted that it has invested $2.5 billion in the US Southeast since it entered the region in the mid-1990s. It recently opened its 26th regional headquarters and distribution centre in Loxley, Alabama, to help support new stores and said it plans to open 20 new Aldi locations in the area by the end of the year.
Southeastern Grocers has been in the region for close to a century.
The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2024, subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions.
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