Little impact from Aldi California stores for Smart & Final

Smart & Final discount stores competes with about 20 of the 26 Aldis that have opened in the past couple of months.

According with the Dave Hirz company’s president and CEO, the stores had lost an average of $5,000 in sales during opening week, and it’s now down to about $2,000.

What’s helping the Smart & Final is the availability of club sizes, which account for 30% of its sales “and which Aldi doesn’t carry. The Smart & Final Weekly Ad Sale is released every week and has great offers for groceries.

Smart & Final expects to continue to increase store count by about 10% a year, though the acquisition of 33 former Haggen stores at the end of last year boosted growth to 15% this year.

The Los Angeles based Smart & Final Stores continues the rapid growth in California, with all 33 stores acquired from Haggen now open for business.

In opening the 33 stores, Smart & Final has increased its presence in the important Los Angeles and Orange County markets, and doubled store count in the California Central Coast and San Diego.

Currently, Smart & Final operates 306 stores in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada and Idaho, including 251 Smart & Final banner stores, 160 of which are Smart & Final Extra! format stores.