Aldi files plans for first two Colorado stores, 48 more to come

Start saving your quarters. Aldi, the German-born discount grocery chain with a cult following and a coin-operated cart system, has filed plans for its first two Colorado stores — both in Denver — marking the beginning of what the company says will be a 50-store blitz across the Front Range.

Plans submitted to Denver’s Permitting and Licensing Center on July 1 call for a 19,432-square-foot store at 9111 E. 40th Ave. in the Central Park neighborhood, on 2.3 acres between a Cracker Barrel and a Chick-fil-A. A second 19,957-square-foot store is planned at 18453 E. 57th Ave. near DIA, close to the 61st and Peña Boulevard RTD Station. That location would include beer and wine sales and 90 parking spaces. Both are single-story, new-build concepts.

The filings are the first concrete step since Aldi announced in January that it planned to open more than 50 stores across the Denver and Colorado Springs markets within two years, supported by a new distribution center in Aurora expected to open in 2029 and create hundreds of jobs. “These strategic investments are all about making sure customers can continue to count on us for the quality, affordable groceries and enjoyable shopping experience they love,” Aldi U.S. CEO Atty McGrath said in the January announcement. Nationally, Aldi is in its 50th year of operation and plans to open 180 stores across 31 states in 2026 alone.

For Coloradans unfamiliar with the Aldi experience: expect no frills, no name brands, no one to bag your groceries and no free carts — but also expect prices that consistently undercut the King Soopers and Safeways of the world. One in three U.S. households shopped at Aldi in the past year, and the chain has built its reputation on efficiency over atmosphere. Colorado has never had one. That’s about to change.