by Food Trade News Team
Aldi will open its first-ever store in Maine on March 26 in Portland, marking the fast-growing German discounter’s arrival in its 40th U.S. market. The location at 1100 Brighton Ave. will occupy a former Big Lots site in the city’s Brighton Avenue retail corridor.
The opening represents Aldi’s first foothold in one of the few remaining U.S.markets where the chain had not previously established a presence.
The debut comes as Aldi continues an aggressive nationwide expansion. The retailer opened more than 175 stores in 2025, including its first locations in Las Vegas, and plans to add at least 180 new stores in 2026.Â
Earlier this year, the company reiterated its plan to invest more than $9 billion in U.S. growth and reach roughly 3,200 locations by 2028. That’s up from more than 2,600 stores currently operating across 39 states and Washington, D.C.
Aldi’s growth strategy has also included converting stores acquired through its 2024 purchase of Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of the Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket banners. While the company sold roughly 170 of those locations, it retained and plans to convert approximately 220 stores into the Aldi format.
To support the expansion, the company has said it expects to add three new U.S. distribution centers by 2029, expanding the logistics network needed to support its limited-assortment model.
For the Northeast grocery market, Aldi’s arrival in Maine represents another step in the steady advance of discount formats into territories long dominated by traditional full-service supermarket chains.
Aldi’s discount format has taken advantage of the soft economic conditions, and their expansion comes at a point when U.S. consumers are looking for ways to cut costs.
