Three new Aldi stores are set to open in the city of Phoenix in September and October 2026, according to public documents reviewed by the Phoenix Business Journal. The openings are part of a push toward more than 50 total Valley locations — a target Aldi plans to hit well before the end of the decade.
Your nearest Aldi may be closer than you think this fall
If you have been driving across town to reach the nearest discount grocery store, that trip is about to get shorter. Three Phoenix stores open this fall, and several more are confirmed across Mesa, Peoria, Cave Creek, and beyond. Aldi prices can run significantly below traditional supermarkets, which matters when a household is watching every grocery dollar. Beyond the savings angle, each new store is landing in a spot that was recently empty — a dead big-box, a shuttered discount chain, or an idle parking lot. That is good news for neighbors who have watched those corners sit vacant.
For homebuyers and investors, this matters too. Grocery-anchored retail centers were the leading driver of Phoenix’s retail sales volume in Q3 2025, when that volume passed $600 million. A new Aldi anchor tends to pull foot traffic back to a strip center, which can lift the commercial value of nearby properties. Phoenix retail vacancy sat at just 4.7% in 2025, so competition for well-located space is real.
Three Phoenix stores opening in September and October: what we know
The Phoenix Business Journal reviewed public documents confirming the September and October 2026 windows for three Phoenix-city stores. Here is what is confirmed for each site.
7830 N. 12th St. (Palo Verde Plaza, 12th Street & Northern Ave.) — This is a former 99 Cents Only location. Aldi Regional VP Shawn Eddy confirmed in April 2026 that this store is “expected to open later this year.” It is one of the September or October stores named in the PBJ documents.
Tatum Blvd. & Bell Rd. — About 25,000 square feet in a former Big Lots. Aldi filed a multi-year lease with the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office starting in March 2026.
The third Phoenix-city store has not had its exact address confirmed in free-access sourcing, but the PBJ documents place it in the same September–October window.
Every confirmed Aldi location coming to the Valley in 2026
Beyond the three Phoenix-city stores, several other Valley locations are documented.
An existing Aldi location in the Phoenix Valley, typical of the small-footprint format the chain is replicating at new sites. (InsideTheValley)
4433 E. Main St., Mesa (Main St. & Greenfield Rd.) — Another former 99 Cents Only store. Aldi purchased this property in early June 2026 and has a liquor license application pending.
Power Rd. & Elliot Rd., Mesa (Gilbert border) — Aldi acquired about three acres here, cleared for development, with an expected opening by end of 2026.
Peoria Ave. & 67th Ave., Peoria — About 26,000 square feet in a former Rush Fun Park trampoline facility. Multi-year lease filed with the Maricopa County Recorder starting in March 2026.
51st St. & Carefree Hwy., Cave Creek — The only ground-up site in this batch. Aldi signed a 20-year lease for 19,000 square feet at the new Cave Creek Gateway development. Cave Creek Town Council approved rezoning for the site in October 2025. Delivery is estimated for Q4 2026. Surrounding household incomes exceed $100,000, per the broker marketing page.
Farther out, an Aldi at Southbridge Marketplace in Maricopa (John Wayne Pkwy. & Honeycutt Ave.) will occupy a 20,664-square-foot building. Shell construction is expected to finish by end of 2026, with an Aldi opening targeted for early 2027.
Why Aldi is repurposing dead retail: Big Lots, 99 Cents Only, and a trampoline park
Look at the list and a pattern jumps out. Big Lots filed for bankruptcy and closed hundreds of stores in 2024. 99 Cents Only shut all its locations in 2024 as well. Rush Fun Park is a trampoline and entertainment concept that could not survive post-pandemic. Aldi is stepping into spaces those chains left behind.
This is a deliberate strategy. Aldi’s stores run about 19,000 to 26,000 square feet — smaller than a traditional supermarket, but large enough to fill a former dollar-store or mid-size box. Landlords with empty anchor spaces welcome the foot traffic. Neighbors get a grocery option where a vacant storefront sat.
The big picture: 40 new Valley locations by 2030 and a fifty-plus store footprint
Aldi entered Arizona in 2020. By early 2026 the chain had 15 to 16 locations statewide, nearly all in metro Phoenix. In January 2026, Aldi announced it would open at least 10 new Phoenix-area stores during 2026 alone. Its four-year plan calls for 40 new stores in the Phoenix market by the end of 2030. When you add those to existing locations, the Valley footprint goes well past 50 stores.
Nationally, Aldi is spending $9 billion on U.S. store and infrastructure expansion through 2028, targeting roughly 3,200 total stores. By end of 2026 the national count will be nearly 2,800.
The Goodyear distribution center: 700 jobs, Loop 303, and why it matters for West Valley residents
The store openings are only part of the story. Aldi is also building a major distribution center in Goodyear, on the southwest corner of Indian School Road and Cotton Lane along the Loop 303 corridor. The facility is about 569,400 square feet, including roughly 16,900 square feet of office space. The city has greenlighted the project.
The distribution center is targeted to open in 2028. It will start with 120 jobs and has capacity for up to 700 employees. That is a meaningful number for West Valley job seekers. The Loop 303 corridor is already dense with industrial and logistics operations — Aldi will be joining an established employment hub.
The City of Goodyear committed $60 million to support Aldi’s investment in the area. A Buckeye site at Indian School Road and Jackrabbit Trail, where Aldi acquired land per Arizona Republic reporting, was also annexed and rezoned to Community Commercial by the City of Buckeye to support retail development.
What Aldi’s expansion means for Valley grocery competition and your grocery bill
Phoenix is already one of the most competitive grocery markets in the country. Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Vallarta, and 99 Ranch Market all operate here. Aldi’s low-price, small-footprint model puts direct pressure on that field.
The chain says it can save a family of four nearly $4,000 per year compared with traditional supermarkets. Whether you shop at Aldi or not, more competition at the low end of the price spectrum tends to push other stores to sharpen their own pricing.
Openings to watch through the rest of 2026 and into 2027
The three Phoenix-city stores in September and October are the next confirmed milestones. The Mesa locations at Main & Greenfield and Power & Elliot are both targeted for end of 2026. The Peoria store at 67th & Peoria Ave. and the Cave Creek Gateway site are also on a 2026 delivery schedule. The Maricopa Southbridge location follows in early 2027.
The Goodyear distribution center is the longest horizon item — targeted for 2028. When it opens, it will anchor Aldi’s ability to supply a Valley network of more than 50 stores from a single West Valley hub. Watch for construction permits and a formal groundbreaking date from the City of Goodyear as the 2028 target approaches.
