Trader Joe’s, Aldi, and Lidl’s each experienced positive year-over-year visit growth in all four quarters of 2025, according to Placer.ai. This suggests that value-led grocery concepts remain well positioned as consumer price sensitivity persists.
While some of that growth can be attributed to Aldi, Lidl, and Trader Joe’s expanding store footprints, increases in average visits per location suggest that demand rose alongside store count, according to the report. If value remains a primary motivator in 2026, these low-price grocers appear well positioned to continue capturing incremental foot traffic.
While each chain is similar in terms of private label dominance and expansion, the in-store experiences differ.
- Trader Joe’s posted the highest share of visits lasting 10 to 15 minutes and 15 to 30 minutes, suggesting a highly efficient shopping experience. Shoppers appear to arrive with a plan and move quickly through the store.
- Aldi sees a higher share of visits in the 15 to 30 minute and 30 to 45 minute ranges than the grocery category overall. This suggests that Aldi’s limited-SKU and small-format model simplifies navigation and decision-making.
- Lidl shows the strongest skew toward longer visits, including the highest share of visits lasting over 45 minutes (11.7%), exceeding Aldi, Trader Joe’s, and the grocery category overall. This reflects Lidl’s positioning somewhere between a traditional grocery store and a superstore.