By David Z. Beitz

Looking for which grocery retailers are building new stores at the fastest clip?

The good news is 114 million square feet of new grocery space is on the way in the United States.

Grocery has been a bright spot in the economy over the past year as spending shifted away from restaurants, especially those dependent on daytime office and tourism populations.

Today, five grocery retailers are leading the pack with a total of 1570+ new stores currently under construction shown on the map below:

Which are the Most Active Grocery Chains in America
#6 H-E-B

#5 Amazon Grocery
#4 Target
#3 Sprouts Farmers Market
#2 Aldi
#1 Publix

 

#5 Amazon Grocery: Amazon Grocery has 29 locations under construction. The Montclair Town Council approved the Lackawanna Plaza Redevelopment Plan to address the “food desert” created by the closure of Pathmark in 2015, with Amazon Fresh proposed as the new supermarket. Councilman David Cummings expressed concerns about the fit of Amazon Fresh for the community, citing issues such as high prices and lack of cashiers. The redevelopment project, now managed by BDP Holdings, is expected to significantly impact the neighborhood, with calls for a union-friendly agreement with any incoming company.

#4 Target: Target has 33 locations under construction. Vestar will begin Phase 2 of the Vineyard Towne Center in Queen Creek on May 20, with Target as the anchor tenant, set to open in fall 2025. The 260,000-square-foot center will feature a variety of retail shops, services, and dining options, and Phase 2 will include tenants like McDonald’s, Verizon, and Petco. This development is part of Vestar’s broader expansion in Arizona, which includes projects in Queen Creek, Buckeye, Laveen, and Peoria.

#3 Sprouts Farmers Market: Sprouts has 38 locations under construction. Sprouts Farmers Market is constructing its first location in Henry County, Georgia, off Jodeco Road in Stockbridge, with an expected completion date in fall 2024. The store, part of the Bridges at Jodeco development, will employ 80–100 individuals and follows the company’s shift to smaller, 23,000 square foot locations. Sprouts, which focuses on healthy food options, has been adjusting its store sizes since 2020 and currently operates 16 locations in Georgia, primarily in north metro Atlanta.

#2 Aldi: Aldi has 61 locations under construction. The Ridgeland Board of Aldermen unanimously approved site plans for a new 22,865-square-foot ALDI in the Renaissance shopping center, which is part of a multi-step development plan including T.J. Maxx, Old Navy, Petsmart, and La-Z-Boy. This ALDI location will be the second largest among the new stores, next to a 24,869-square-foot T.J. Maxx, and will sit beside Costco. ALDI, which operates over 2,000 stores nationwide and has recently opened locations in Flowood and Hattiesburg, continues to expand in Mississippi.

#1 Publix: Publix has 78 locations under construction. Publix Super Markets paid $23 million for Riviera Plaza in Coral Gables, intending to replace its nearby Monza Avenue store with a new 42,000-square-foot location featuring a parking garage. Riviera Plaza was previously occupied by various tenants, and the building permit for the new Publix was secured in March 2019. Publix, which owns the land and building for 351 of its 1,239 stores, has been a supportive landlord during the pandemic by waiving two months of rent and maintenance fees for tenants in its shopping centers.

What drives new grocery store growth?

Many factors go into grocery location planning and the site selection process for a new grocery store.

One of the items included in almost every site research package is info on what residential developments are planned, under construction, and recently completed nearby.

With an average of $70 spent per person per week on groceries, more people mean there is potential for more sales.

Below is an example of the new grocery data from BuildCentral shown in the Planned Retail platform:

When zoomed in on Florida, each logo on the map is an active project. Each project has info on the start date, construction stage, contacts, address, and more. As grocery stores often follow the new rooftops, data like this will be crucial in helping to find new markets and new store locations.

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