---
title: "ALDI Surpasses 100 Stores in China, Marking a Key Milestone"
description: "After seven years of deep cultivation and expansion, ALDI has finally reached the milestone of 100 stores in China. On March 21, two new stores opened in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, and one in Shanghai, bringing the total to over 100 and signaling accelerated expansion in the Yangtze River Delta region."
author: "联商网编辑部"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2026-03-23"
categories: "Consumer & Categories, Retail Formats"
language: "en"
canonical: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/aldi-surpasses-100-stores-in-china-marking-a-key-milestone-a5838d8a/"
markdown: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/aldi-surpasses-100-stores-in-china-marking-a-key-milestone-a5838d8a.md"
original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/fnfnOQ2dzkrzf2xwnRg3AA"
translation: "https://xinjignxiao.com/zh/articles/%E5%9C%A8%E5%8D%8E%E7%AA%81%E7%A0%B4100%E5%AE%B6%E5%BA%97-%E5%A5%A5%E4%B9%90%E9%BD%90%E8%BF%8E%E6%9D%A5%E5%85%B3%E9%94%AE%E9%87%8C%E7%A8%8B%E7%A2%91-a5838d8a.md"
attribution: "New Distribution — https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/aldi-surpasses-100-stores-in-china-marking-a-key-milestone-a5838d8a/"
citation: "联商网编辑部. “ALDI Surpasses 100 Stores in China, Marking a Key Milestone.” New Distribution, 2026-03-23. https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/aldi-surpasses-100-stores-in-china-marking-a-key-milestone-a5838d8a/"
usage_policy: "https://xinjignxiao.com/ai-policy.txt"
---

# ALDI Surpasses 100 Stores in China, Marking a Key Milestone

> After seven years of deep cultivation and expansion, ALDI has finally reached the milestone of 100 stores in China. On March 21, two new stores opened in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, and one in Shanghai, bringing the total to over 100 and signaling accelerated expansion in the Yangtze River Delta region.

After seven years of deep cultivation and expansion, ALDI has finally reached the milestone of 100 stores in the Chinese market.
On March 21, it was learned that two new ALDI stores officially opened in Zhenjiang: one at Wanda Plaza in Runzhou District and another at Phoenix Plaza in Jingkou District. On the same day, a store at Shanghai's Minhang Xindu Mantianxing Life Plaza also opened.
With the opening of these three new stores, ALDI's total number of stores nationwide has officially surpassed 100, not only marking a new stage in the brand's scaled development in China but also indicating that its full-region layout in the Yangtze River Delta is accelerating.
Three New Stores Opened in One Day
It is understood that the simultaneous opening of two stores in Zhenjiang is a key step for ALDI to deepen its presence in Jiangsu. The new stores fully cover daily consumption scenarios for three meals, continuing the private-label strategy of "Good Quality, Low Price." On the first day of opening, they attracted a large number of local residents who queued up early to shop.
In terms of products, ALDI brought several high-value daily necessities to Zhenjiang consumers: a 5kg bag of premium Wuchang rice priced at 46.9 yuan, a classic best-selling whole roasted chicken at only 19.9 yuan, and various cold-fresh meats at affordable prices, making them popular in-store items.
Fruits, bakery, snacks, beverages, and other categories also debuted, meeting diverse family and daily consumption needs. In addition to core fresh food, the stores also cover daily chemical products, personal care, and other full-category daily necessities, helping consumers complete one-stop shopping.
Adhering to the business philosophy of "Rooted Locally, Serving the Community," ALDI deeply integrates local dietary preferences and introduces multiple seasonal specialty ingredients. As spring arrives, the stores have specially introduced Jiangnan seasonal spring delicacies and specialty aquatic products, offering them at affordable prices to reflect the traditional wisdom of "eating according to the season."
In terms of quality control, the brand has launched a "Gold Standard Fruit" selection system for seasonal fresh fruits, strictly screening based on six dimensions: freshness, appearance, aroma, shelf life, sugar content, and texture, ensuring stable quality. The monthly updated "ALDI Special Sale" series continues to bring consumers high-value surprise products.
The simultaneous opening of two stores in Zhenjiang is an important step for the brand to deepen its presence in Jiangsu and continuously densify its regional store network. In the future, ALDI will continue to integrate the core concept of "Good Quality, Low Price" into daily operations, injecting a more vibrant retail option into this thousand-year-old city.
At the same time, it was also learned that the Shanghai Minhang Xindu Mantianxing Life Plaza store also opened on March 21. Located on the 1st floor of Xindu Plaza, 2508 Xindu Road, Minhang District, Shanghai, this store continues ALDI's positioning as a community-based curated discount supermarket, with a core business model of streamlined SKUs, private labels, and ultra-low prices.
Entering the Stage of Scaled Expansion
Founded in 1913, ALDI is a century-old German retail brand, a global benchmark in hard discount community supermarkets, and one of the earliest retailers to deeply cultivate the private-label model. Its business network spans four continents, with over 13,000 stores in dozens of countries.
In 2019, ALDI officially entered China, opening its first store in Shanghai, and over the following years, it continued to deepen its roots in Shanghai, steadily refining its local operating model.
It is worth noting that from 2019 to 2024, ALDI's total number of stores reached several dozen, all located in the Shanghai area.
In 2025, ALDI's development in China hit a critical turning point, with the pace of store expansion accelerating comprehensively. The number of new stores opened throughout the year exceeded thirty, doubling compared to the previous year. At the end of that year, ALDI signaled clear expansion intentions, expecting that by the first quarter of 2026, the national store count would surpass 100. With more than a year of rapid development, ALDI achieved a scale that had taken the previous six years to reach.
While accelerating store expansion, ALDI also officially began cross-regional layout. On April 19, 2025, ALDI officially expanded beyond Shanghai by opening its first stores in Wuxi and Suzhou simultaneously.
Since then, the brand has continued to open stores in multiple locations across Jiangsu, with an accelerating pace. On January 24, 2026, ALDI completed the Lunar New Year finale with the simultaneous opening of four stores in Nanjing, bringing the total number of stores in Jiangsu to 22 in less than 10 months.
With the opening of the two Zhenjiang stores and the new Shanghai store, ALDI's national store count has officially surpassed 100, marking a symbolic milestone in its rapid development in China.
According to statistics compiled by this publication, among ALDI's 100 stores nationwide, 74 are located in Shanghai. By district, Pudong has the most with 16 stores, Minhang and Xuhui each have 9, and Baoshan follows with 7. In Jiangsu Province, there are 26 stores in total: 11 in Suzhou, 8 in Wuxi, 4 in Nanjing, 2 in Zhenjiang, and 1 in Changzhou.
Recently, there have been reports that after deepening its presence in Shanghai and fully establishing itself in Jiangsu, ALDI will officially enter the Zhejiang market this year, with Hangzhou as its core base. It plans to open multiple stores simultaneously, with the Zhijiang area set to host the first Hangzhou store.
Additionally, it has been disclosed that within 2026, ALDI will officially enter the Anhui market, with the first stop in Hefei, and plans to expand to Wuhu as well. If these plans materialize smoothly, ALDI will achieve full coverage of the Yangtze River Delta region—Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui—entering a new development stage with four-province linkage.
However, these reports have not yet been officially confirmed.
Furthermore, several industry insiders close to ALDI have indicated that the performance of the Jiangsu market has exceeded expectations, with some metrics even outperforming Shanghai. On one hand, many areas in Jiangsu are influenced by the Shanghai consumer market, leading to higher brand awareness and acceptance of ALDI among consumers. On the other hand, the region's overall consumption capacity is strong, highly aligned with ALDI's target customer base, providing a favorable environment for cross-regional expansion.
Continuously Refining Product Strength and Operational Efficiency
Behind the rapid expansion in scale is ALDI's continuous refinement of product strength and operational efficiency.
In the early stages of entering the Chinese market, ALDI once leaned toward a "light premium" route, but with 2023 as a turning point, the brand's positioning underwent a clear adjustment.
Today's ALDI community stores emphasize the daily, high-frequency "replenishment" function. On one hand, it continues to deepen its localized supply chain, establishing long-term stable cooperation with over 80% of high-quality local suppliers. On the other hand, it leverages global supply chain resources to build a high-standard supplier system, reducing intermediate premiums through flexible product combinations.
It can be said that ALDI's hard discount model is built on extreme efficiency, with its most notable feature being the reduction of SKUs to approximately 2,000, only one-tenth of the industry average. The "fewer but better" product selection strategy not only reduces consumers' decision-making costs but also significantly enhances bargaining power on the procurement side.
In terms of product structure, ALDI currently has 14 private-label series in China, with private labels accounting for as much as 90% of its offerings, comprehensively covering consumers' diverse daily needs. This product structure allows the brand to effectively escape homogeneous competition and build a differentiated barrier.
Specifically, ALDI's private-label products cover major categories such as food and beverages, daily necessities, and more. Among them, the "Super Value" series focuses on extreme cost-effectiveness, with affordable items like 9.9-yuan liquor and 7.5-yuan 950mL fresh milk, successfully attracting a large number of quality-conscious yet price-sensitive consumers.
In terms of pricing strategy, ALDI adheres to long-termism. Since proposing "New Low Prices" in 2024, the brand has cumulatively launched over 700 daily necessities with long-term price reductions. At the end of August 2025, ALDI once again selected over 50 high-frequency repurchase items for "long-term price cuts," with maximum reductions of up to 30%.
By streamlining SKUs, focusing on essential needs, and centralized procurement, ALDI truly achieves "everyday low prices without gimmicks," not relying on a single best-selling item for low-price traffic, but rather allowing consumers to feel the cost-effectiveness through sustained savings in daily shopping.
Some analysts point out that ALDI, having been in China for nearly seven years, has passed the exploration and adjustment phase and entered a mature stage of development. In the current domestic discount store market, ALDI's leading advantage is also being amplified.
What Is the Real Competitiveness of Hard Discount?
As consumption structures continue to differentiate and residents' demand for daily cost-effectiveness increases, China's hard discount supermarket industry is moving from the "budding stage" into a "window of scaled growth," becoming one of the most certain incremental tracks in the entire retail industry.
From an industry opportunity perspective, three major dividends are driving track growth:
First, the channel substitution effect is evident. Traditional supermarkets suffer from low efficiency and high costs, while hard discount models, with their streamlined, efficient, and low-cost structure, are more suitable for the current consumption environment.
Second, community-based, "small and beautiful" models are becoming the mainstream trend. Models like ALDI, which are close to residential areas and focus on three meals a day, align well with the pace of urban life.
Third, the penetration rate of private labels is increasing. Consumers' reliance on brands is declining, and they are more sensitive to quality and price, providing natural soil for hard discount.
At the same time, the industry is also facing more intense competition. On one hand, local discount brands are rapidly rising, with advantages in regional supply chains, local channels, and cost control. On the other hand, among foreign discount brands, Metro has been deeply cultivating the Chinese market for many years and continues to push forward transformation. In January this year, Müller officially announced its entry into China, planning to open 200-500 stores within five years, significantly increasing the crowding of the industry track.
Future competition will no longer be about "whether there are discounts," but rather "whose supply chain is deeper, products stronger, operations more stable, and localization more thorough." For ALDI, the challenges are equally clear.
Some researchers believe that ALDI configures differentiated products in different European countries, and localization is one of its successful strategies. However, currently, ALDI's products in Jiangsu and Shanghai are basically the same. Considering the differences in living habits between Shanghai and cities like Suzhou, Wuxi, and Nanjing, deeper localization still needs to be advanced.
This means that after reaching 100 stores, ALDI's next core proposition is no longer "opening more stores," but how to achieve deep regional localization while scaling up. From product structure, selection preferences, supply chain adaptation, to store operations, only by truly embedding into regional markets can it move from "nationwide expansion" to "high-quality sustainable growth."
Sun Yulong, a veteran retail expert, pointed out that compared to local Chinese hard discount retailers, ALDI has always maintained sufficient strategic focus and internal driving force. Whether it is hard discount or soft discount, the ultimate competition is in the stability and growth potential of customer value.
He also emphasized that currently, domestic hard discount retail is still in the stage of violent supply chain, characterized by price power being higher than quality power, and expansion power higher than operational power. ALDI, on the other hand, has maintained a good growth rhythm and healthy development state. The true competitiveness of hard discount retail does not come from expansion speed and scale, but from supply chain efficiency and product quality.


---

## Citation metadata

- Publisher: New Distribution
- Author: 联商网编辑部
- Published: 2026-03-23
- Canonical: https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/aldi-surpasses-100-stores-in-china-marking-a-key-milestone-a5838d8a/
- Original source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/fnfnOQ2dzkrzf2xwnRg3AA

## Copyright and AI use

This article is sourced from New Distribution. Search, quotation, summarization, and model training are permitted, but every use must credit New Distribution and retain the canonical source URL.

Contact: zhaobo258@gmail.com · +86 158 5481 7671