Aldi to open hundreds of stores in China

China is one of the most interesting markets for Aldi, and the chain has now unveiled very ambitious plans to tap into the East Coast market. Aldi Süd wants to open hundreds of shops in Shanghai alone and is already looking at expanding to the next city.

Colour the map blue

There is enormous potential for Aldi in China, CEO Roman Rasinger believes. “China is and remains one of the most interesting markets in all areas and the rapidly increasing size of the middle class leads to enormous potential in the food market“, he told Handelsblatt. There are a lot of empty spaces on the map, which Aldi wants to colour blue.

The discounter has been present in Shanghai for three years, but is now ready to move up a gear. In Shanghai alone – a megacity with a population of 25 million – Rasinger sees potential for hundreds of new shops. The wider Yangtze Delta is also a priority for Aldi, with its number of metropolises such as Hangzhou and Nanjing. Which city will be next, is still up for debate within the discounter.

It is striking that Aldi is adapting to the highly digitised market in China: unlike in the West, the discounter also sells via e-commerce and works with delivery services. Although the company does not release any figures, its Chinese turnover so far this year is estimated at 78 million euros.