CHICAGO—The recession hit many middle-market retailers hard, but stores that served lower-income families did relatively well, as millions of families hunted for ways to cut their budgets. And even though the worst of the economic hard times seems past, many of those families still face uncertainty and plan to continue looking for bargains. To capitalize on this, ALDI, the nation's most popular low-price grocer, has just decided to launch a five-year strategic plan to open 650 new stores. Company officials also say they will build a regional headquarters and distribution center in Moreno Valley, CA.

Under this strategic plan, Batavia, IL-based ALDI USA will open an average of 130 stores per year, up from an average of 80 in recent years. The company plans to invest more than $3 billion in land, facilities and equipment. And when it completes the expansion, ALDI will serve more than 45 million customers per month.

"We're ramping up our expansion plans to meet growing demand for ALDI from customers across the country," says Jason Hart, president of ALDI. "Recently, we successfully entered new markets such as Houston, and expanded our presence in competitive markets like South Florida and New York City. At ALDI, we believe that great quality can be affordable, and we are eager to bring the ALDI difference to new markets like Southern California."