Source丨New Products & Finance Aldi plans to exceed 100 stores by the first quarter of 2026, and the pace of store openings will further accelerate. Clearly, Aldi is about to step on the gas again. Behind Aldi's acceleration is the end of the rapid growth of hard discount supermarket players in 2025, and the upcoming new competition in 2026. Aldi is about to step on the gas again In recent years, China's supermarket market has continued to experience a tale of two extremes. On one hand, the wave of closures among traditional supermarkets persists; on the other, new-generation community supermarkets, discount stores, and other new models are accelerating their rapid expansion. In 2025, there were several highly active supermarket brands. Besides established and internet-famous brands like Pangdonglai, Walmart, and Sam's Club, Hema was also stepping on the gas. Among them, Aldi, a newcomer that entered the Chinese market only a few years ago, has drawn particular attention. Founded in 1913, Aldi is a German global supermarket chain that offers a range of products including dairy, bakery, meat, poultry, aquatic products, personal care, and household cleaning items, providing consumers with daily necessities. According to Aldi's official website, after over 100 years of development, Aldi now operates more than 10,000 stores in over 10 countries worldwide. Aldi's popularity in Germany and other global markets stems from its positioning as a hard discount supermarket brand, with the slogan: "Good quality, low price." Compared to foreign supermarket chains like Walmart and Carrefour, which entered the Chinese market early and are well-known to Chinese consumers, Aldi only entered China in 2019, arriving late. Despite its late entry, Aldi quickly gained prominence within a few years, especially in the highly competitive Shanghai market, becoming a dark horse. Aldi wins consumer favor with its "Good quality, low price" philosophy, focusing on low prices and a budget-friendly approach. For example, its 9.9 yuan liquor and 3.9 yuan sanitary pads have become viral products, earning Aldi the nickname "poor man's supermarket" from netizens. A key factor enabling Aldi's low prices is that 90% of its store products are private label, which helps control costs and achieve expected profit targets. According to Yicai, Aldi currently has over 80 stores in China, mostly directly operated, mainly distributed in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and other Yangtze River Delta regions, with its home base in Shanghai. From media reports and Aldi's news updates, Aldi is maintaining a high-speed development trend, having opened about 30 new stores in 2025. The author notes that according to the latest media reports, Aldi is expected to exceed 100 stores in China by the first quarter of 2026, and the pace of store openings is expected to further accelerate in 2026. Aldi plans to densify its store layout in key Shanghai areas in 2026 while accelerating expansion in Jiangsu. In early 2026, Aldi will enter three new cities: Nanjing, Zhenjiang, and Yangzhou. Clearly, Aldi wants to accelerate store openings in 2026, stepping on the gas again. Why is Aldi stepping on the gas? So, in China's extremely competitive and involutionary supermarket market, why is Aldi stepping on the gas? What is its intention? In the author's view, this can be analyzed from Aldi's current development stage and its next strategic goals. Although Aldi entered China only in 2019, it quickly became popular due to its budget positioning and discount market strategy, even becoming an internet-famous supermarket. Currently, Aldi mainly operates in Shanghai and is accelerating development in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and other regional markets, with plans to exceed 100 stores by the first quarter of next year. From the current development stage, Aldi has successfully validated its business model in China over the past few years, or achieved phased development goals, so the next step is to press the accelerator. First, Aldi, being a global retail chain from Germany, inherently has brand appeal. After entering China, it quickly built its brand through store openings, marketing, and promotions, establishing a strong brand effect. Second, since entering China, Aldi has focused on private label products, with over 90% of store products being private label. The development of private label products is directly linked to the brand effect and trust of the supermarket operator itself. Consumers' acceptance of a supermarket's private label products directly reflects their trust in the supermarket brand. Third, through years of development, Aldi has not only global procurement and supply chain capabilities but also, crucially, localized supply chains. For example, Aldi has established a new distribution center in Putuo, Shanghai, cooperates with over 80% local suppliers, with a direct fresh produce procurement ratio as high as 95%. It also has a central kitchen in Jinshan, Shanghai, a cold chain warehouse in Kunshan, and a fresh produce base in Jiaxing. From a supply chain perspective, Aldi has achieved systematic and efficient supply chain operations in the East China and Yangtze River Delta regions, enabling it to engage in price wars. According to media reports, in 2025, Aldi's maximum price reduction reached 45%, with over 700 products undergoing long-term price cuts, and over 600 SKUs priced at 9.9 yuan or below. Aldi has performed well in Shanghai and Jiangsu/Zhejiang, achieving a certain scale and brand effect, which is a key point of interest for other supermarket players. An industry veteran once told the author that the Yangtze River Delta, especially Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, is the most competitive region in China's retail supermarket industry. A supermarket that can establish a foothold there can quickly replicate its success nationwide. Supermarket retail operations require scale; only by reaching a certain number of stores can economies of scale be achieved, releasing greater brand effects and making the supply chain more efficient. Aldi is well aware of this. Clearly, at this stage and in the coming years, Aldi wants to continue developing the Shanghai market, accelerate growth in Zhejiang and Jiangsu, and further expand regional scale, so it must step on the gas. The rapid growth of "Aldi and peers" in 2025 Behind Aldi's rapid development in China in 2025, looking at the broader industry and sub-sector, all major players in China's community discount or budget supermarket segment have been racing ahead in 2025. When discussing community discount supermarket players, Hema cannot be ignored. After announcing its dual-drive strategy, Hema has been developing its hard discount brand Chaobesuan NB while maintaining the pace of Hema Fresh store openings. As of October 2025, Hema Chaobesuan NB had over 350 stores. On November 24 this year, Chaobesuan NB officially opened franchising, continuing to accelerate. Internet giants are also accelerating their exploration of new retail, with discount supermarkets becoming a new battleground. E-commerce giant JD.com accelerated the opening of JD Discount Supermarkets in 2025, entering the discount supermarket track. As of now, JD has opened 9 discount supermarket stores. Meituan, also accelerating its new retail exploration, is developing its self-operated community supermarket brand Kuailehou. As of December 2025, Meituan Kuailehou has 5 stores. Established supermarket brand Wumart Group is also developing its hard discount retail format, Wumart Chaoshi. On July 25 this year, it opened 6 stores in Beijing in a single day, attracting market attention and discussion. All major players are targeting the discount supermarket track because it represents a massive market. According to NielsenIQ data, in 2024, global discount retail channels grew by 8.2%, with incremental sales reaching $6.11 billion, making it the fastest-growing retail track in the past year. Focusing on China, the hard discount market size exceeded 200 billion yuan in 2024, with continued growth expected. Industry reports show that China's hard discount supermarket penetration rate is only 8%, compared to 42% in Germany and 31% in Japan, indicating significant growth potential. Some research institutions predict that China's hard discount format will achieve a compound annual growth rate of 5.6% over the next decade. In the current economic and consumption environment, many consumers' spending habits have changed significantly, becoming more rational. Hard discount formats precisely meet consumers' needs, especially young people and urban families, for low-priced, high-quality goods. In the author's view, in the overall hard discount track in 2025, besides the notable land grabbing by players, there are other points worth attention. Currently, all hard discount supermarket players are stepping on the gas, racing to expand their territory, aiming to open more stores. After all, making money in hard discount supermarkets is not easy, and a key factor is achieving economies of scale. It is expected that in 2026, the hard discount track will continue to be lively, with intensified competition. Representative brands like Aldi and Chaobesuan NB will continue to accelerate, and JD.com and Meituan will also further speed up their hard discount businesses. However, behind the booming development of hard discount supermarkets, homogenization has already emerged in multiple aspects, and this trend will become increasingly evident. The real test for a discount supermarket brand will be its ability to create unique private label products. At a deeper level, hard discount supermarkets focus on low prices to attract consumers, but balancing low prices and quality is a challenge for all players, including Aldi. 【Moving Towards the C-End】The 11th China FMCG Conference Time: March 16-18, 2026 Location: Chengdu, China