Budget-friendly grocery chain Aldi opened a newly converted Winn-Dixie supermarket Dec. 4 at 2900 Lakeland Highlands Road in Lakeland as part of a record setting year for store openings.
The new location was a former Winn Dixie supermarket and is now the fourth Aldi in Lakeland. The last store to open was also a Winn Dixie conversion.
Aldi has said it aims to convert approximately 220 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets by the end of 2027.
Aldi in Lakeland
ALDI says it offers low prices on groceries and home goods, from fresh produce and meats to organic foods and beverages, among others, according to its website.
“ALDI makes the flavorful affordable. Plus, with new limited-time ALDI Finds added to shelves each week, there’s always something new to discover,” the company’s website said.
Aldi sets record pace of openings
As of this week, the company listed 17 new Florida stores opening on its Coming Soon page, some expected before the new year.
The surge comes as the no-frills grocer hopes to hit its stated goal of opening 225 new stores nationwide in 2025. That would be the most stores Aldi has ever opened in a single year, according to a report by the Fort Myers News Press.
In addition to the Lakeland store opening Dec. 4, other Florida locations in Homosassa and Port Charlotte opened the same day.
Ten more stores were due to open this Thursday, Dec. 11, in Bushnell, Leesburg, North Fort Myers, Port Charlotte (another one), Port Saint John, Saint Johns, Sarasota, Seminole, Tampa and Venice.
Some of those dates have been changed, as of Monday. Now Saint Johns and Sarasota are scheduled for Dec. 18 openings, joining Bradenton, Chiefland and Ormond Beach.
As did Lakeland, each location’s grand opening started with an 8:45 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony and includes gift bags and gift cards for the first 100 customers and the chance to win a sweepstakes for a $500 Aldi gift card.
Aldi locations opening in Florida?
As of early December, the latest dates and locations shown on Aldi’s “Coming Soon” page are:
Dec. 11
Dec. 18
Jan. 8
Several more Winn-Dixie conversions in Florida are still ongoing, including locations in Sebastian and Vero Beach, Daytona Beach Shores, DeBary, Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Pensacola and more, scheduled for 2026.
What are the grand opening deals?
At every Aldi grand opening, the first 100 people in line will receive a gift bag of Aldi-exclusive products and a gift card for $10, $25 or $100 as part of the discount grocer’s Golden Ticket program. All shoppers can get a free Aldi shopping tote, while supplies last, just look for an Aldi employee and ask.
Shoppers can register from the morning the new location opens through the weekend for a chance to win a $500 gift card, no purchase necessary. Registration at all new locations ends at 8 p.m. the Sunday after the grand opening.
Aldi most stores ever in 2025
The discount chain famous for low prices and store-brand goods (and a complete lack of coupons, in-store delis, bakeries, pharmacies, loyalty programs, baggers or Muzak) has been working to open 225 new stores nationwide in 2025.
It’s the most Aldi has ever opened in a year, with plans for 800 locations by the end of 2028. About 40 Florida Aldis have already opened in 2025.
In just the last few weeks, Aldi locations have sprung up in Englewood, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Lehigh Acres, Naples, New Port Richey, Orlando, Palm Harbor and St. Petersburg. Many of them are converted Winn-Dixies from Aldi’s brief acquisition of that company in 2024-2025.
C. A. Bridges of the USA Today Network-Florida contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Fourth Aldi opens in Lakeland amid company’s record store-opening pace
Reporting by Paul Nutcher and C. A. Bridges, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
