Aldi will join the Times Square neighborhood next year.
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German discount grocer Aldi is to open its first central Manhattan location, slated to open in 2026 at The Ellery, a new 32-story luxury residential tower near the city’s famous Times Square.
The retailer has signed a lease for a 25,000-square-foot flagship store at 312 West 43rd Street, at the edge of Hell’s Kitchen and Times Square, in partnership with developer Taconic Partners and National Real Estate Advisors.
The news comes amid a wave of development in Midtown, following the New York City Council’s adoption of Mayor Eric Adams’s Midtown South mixed-use rezoning plan, which is expected to help create nearly 10,000 new apartments through new construction and office-to-residential conversions.
“Opening our first store in the heart of Manhattan will be a significant milestone for Aldi as we continue to expand access to affordable, quality groceries in the most in-demand locations across the country,” Aldi Chris Daniels Regional Vice President said.
“This location will allow us to provide New Yorkers with a simpler, quicker and more enjoyable shopping experience, with great products at the lowest prices, every day.”
Taconic Partners Senior Vice President George Tsapelas called the Aldi flagship “a major milestone in the transformation of the Times Square area into a premier residential destination.”
He added that the chain is “an ideal neighborhood partner, offering the West Side a much-needed grocery store that will resonate with our residents and the community.”
Aldi New York Stores
Aldi currently operates one store in Manhattan, in East Harlem, and multiple locations across Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, plus New Jersey. Nationally, the grocer is on track to open 200 new stores this year, as it continues with an aggressive expansion program.
The grocer plans to open more than 220 new stores this year, with the mid-term goal of opening 800 new locations by the end of 2028. Earlier this year, Aldi also entered the Nevada market with its first Las Vegas locations.
Last year the grocer opened nearly 120 locations, bringing its total store count to over 2,400 and solidifying its position as the third-largest grocery chain by store count in the country.
Aldi has bene expanding south and converting rival stores as it continues to expand.
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Aldi’s new store growth this year has also included converting select Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores to the Aldi format after the company completed its acquisition of around 400 Winn-Dixie and Harvey Supermarket locations from Southeastern Grocers in March 2024.
In total, Aldi is aiming to convert approximately 220 previous Southeastern Grocers locations through 2027.
Aldi operates more than 7,200 store locations around the world, including more than 2,200 stores in 39 U.S. states.
Aldi To Join MidTown Line-Up
Designed by Handel Architects, The Ellery in Manhattan’s MidTown includes 330 fully leased residential units and more than 30,000-square-feet of amenities, including a rooftop pool, fitness center and coworking spaces.
The Ellery’s retail space also includes 19,000-square-feet of ground-floor frontage spanning 42nd to 43rd Street, which remains available for subdivision and future tenants.
Meanwhile, after restructuring its U.S. business and overhauling its C-suite, Aldi’s fierce German rival Lidl has been working to reposition its brand expansion after stop start growth under five different U.S. CEOs.
The incumbent is Joel Rampoldt, former Managing Director of consulting firm AlixPartners, who joined in August 2023. Lidl now operates more than 180 stores in nine states and Washington, D.C. The company is currently mainly focused on expanding within its existing markets of New York, Washington D.C. and Atlanta.
But it has a long way to go to catch up with Aldi, which has maintained strong growth since its first arrival and is now positioning to take Manhattan.
