Aldi announces over 50 stores coming to Denver, Colorado Springs; distribution center coming to Aurora

Grocery store giant Aldi announced on Monday that on the company's 50th anniversary, over 50 stores and a distribution center will be built in Colorado.

This marks the first time the stores will be built in Colorado, following years of popular demand and rumors among consumers. The move is part of a massive, $9 billion expansion in which the company, known for its low prices, said it would be building 180 new stores across 31 states.

In addition to the 50 stores in the Denver metro area and Colorado Springs area, the German-based company said it will be building a distribution center in Aurora, which, in itself, is expected to bring hundreds of jobs to the area. The first round of stores is expected to be built over the next two years, and the distribution center is projected to be completed by 2029.

"One in three U.S. households shopped at ALDI this past year, and in 2026 we're focused on making it even easier for customers to shop our aisles first," Aldi U.S. CEO Atty McGrath said in a statement. "That means bringing ALDI to even more neighborhoods, upgrading our website and planning additional distribution centers to keep our shelves stocked with the products our shoppers love."

"These strategic investments are all about making sure customers can continue to count on us for the quality, affordable groceries and enjoyable shopping experience they love," McGrath said. "As we look ahead to our next 50 years in the U.S., we'll continue to earn shopper loyalty by staying true to what's made ALDI successful: keeping things simple and delivering real value."

Joe Craig says the announcement is "fantastic news for Colorado." Craig is the chair of the economics department at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and he says the move will help bring jobs to Colorado and increase competition in the grocery industry, meaning lowered or stabilized prices for groceries.

"Anytime a competitor comes in, you're going to see a reduction in prices — that's basic econ 101: more supply lowers prices, holding everything else constant — so I'd expect to see lower prices across the board, even more so where an Aldi's goes in," Craig said. "You may not actually see lowered prices; you just may not see prices continue to inflate, but that still does mean you're paying lower prices than you would otherwise."

The exact locations of the stores have not yet been announced, and they'll likely need to go through local planning and development boards and city and town councils or county commissions for approval. Craig suspects they'll build the majority of those stores in the Denver metro area and could take over buildings that used to house grocery stores and also construct new buildings.

"I think they'll do all of the above," he said.

"I can't imagine they wouldn't want to move into (existing structures)," he continued. "I'd tell you what I would do if I were them: I'd be looking for areas where I'd have the biggest impact — and by that, I mean where I'm not competing with a Walmart right next door, again, seeing Walmart as one of their biggest competitors in that zone — and probably trying to find areas that are easier to drive to."

The grocery chain has over 13,000 locations across Europe, the U.S., Australia, and China, over 2,600 of which are in the U.S.