TEXAS – Aldi has big plans for Texas. The grocer said that it wants as many as 450 stores across the Lone Star State, a 405% increase.

This expansion falls in line with Aldi’s December, 2013 5-year plans to open 650 new stores across the United States, including Southern California. This would bring the company’s total U.S. store count to 2,000 by 2018.

“Opportunities for us in Texas are substantial, and we want to continue to support our growth with more suppliers in Texas and all the neighboring states,” Hector Alejandro, Director of Regional Buying for Aldi Inc., told the Dallas Morning News (DMN). 

To support this expansion, Aldi is holding a casting call of sorts for local suppliers. The grocer is holding a supplier engagement event on March 18 at the company’s Denton distribution center.

“We have received a great response for the event,” Alejandro said, adding that potential suppliers are scheduled to come from all major cities in Texas.

Aldi is looking for producers and growers of all sizes, with some companies only being able to supply in one or two states. Alejandro also told the DMN that every prospective supplier will meet with a buyer at the event next month.

Currently, Aldi operated 89 stores in Texas. It operates a large distribution center in Denton and has a second under construction near Houston, a 650,000-square-foot facility that will open early next year.

Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for the latest on this retailer’s expansion plans.

Aldi