ALDI plans new stores in Phoenix and Mesa

ALDI is preparing stores at 7830 N 12th Street in Phoenix and 4433 E Main Street in Mesa. Both locations are former 99 Cents Only Stores sites purchased by the grocer in early June.

ALDI is planning two new Arizona grocery stores, one at 7830 N 12th Street in Phoenix and another at 4433 E Main Street in Mesa. No opening timeline has been announced for either store.

Both sites were previously occupied by 99 Cents Only Stores. City liquor license applications and Maricopa County Recorder's Office property records show ALDI purchased the Phoenix and Mesa properties in early June as part of a strategy to use vacant discount grocery locations.

The stores are expected to follow ALDI's regular format, with store brand groceries, weekly specials and lower cost household basics. The company runs smaller stores with a limited product selection, uses a quarter deposit cart system and asks customers to bring their own bags to help control operating costs.

The Arizona additions fit into ALDI's plan to add about 800 U.S. stores over five years through both new construction and reuse of existing retail sites. The company is also expanding in the Northeast, Midwest, Southern California and Las Vegas.

The Phoenix store would serve the North 12th Street corridor, while the Mesa store would add another grocery option along East Main Street. Both areas are surrounded by established neighborhoods and daily traffic.