Aldi Plans U.S. Expansion

Aldi (Essen, Germany) announced plans to expand its U.S. presence by opening more stores and offering more natural and organic foods, positioning it to better compete with the likes of Whole Foods (Austin, Texas) and other grocery-store chains.

To that end, the company plans to expand its fresh-food offerings by 40 percent and expand its private-label line of natural and organic foods. It is also launching its own line of meal kits.

The company is also spending $5 billion to build 700 new U.S. stores and remodel 1300 more over the next four years. Those overhauls will include brighter lights, bigger aisles, less-cluttered shelves and more refrigeration space, reports CNNMoney.