May 20—The popular grocery retailer ALDI has confirmed plans to open a location in Meridian later this year as part of a planned expansion throughout the South.

"We are excited to confirm we are planning to open our first ALDI store in Meridian, Mississippi later this year," ALDI Loxley Division Vice President Heather Moore said.

The location and opening day of ALDI's Meridian location were not immediately available. Moore said more information would be released in the near future.

"We will reach back to share more specifics, including the store opening timing, soon," she said.

Moore said ALDI looks to hire 15 to 20 people for each of its stores, and the Meridian location would be the same.

"Each store, including our upcoming Meridian store, will employ about 15 to 20 people, she said.

The opening of a Meridian store comes as part of a national expansion of 150 stores across the United States, 20 of which would be in the Southeast. In February the retailer announced it would open a new distribution center in Loxley, Alabama to support its expansion into Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.

"There is nothing like watching shoppers discover ALDI for the first time," said Jason Hart, CEO of ALDI U.S. in a Feb. 8 news release. "There's a moment of surprise when they realize just how much they can save by shopping with us. We can't wait to share that experience with more customers as we add new stores across the Southeast."

In total, the expansion will create around 500 jobs, with openings for 300 store associates and 200 warehouse associates. Information about job openings at ALDI can be found at careers.aldi.us.

In addition to the Meridian location, Moore said ALDI plans to open stores in McComb, Ocean Springs and Starkville, bringing the total number of Mississippi locations to nine. The company currently has locations in Corinth, Horn Lake, Olive Branch, Southaven and Tupelo.

"As one of America's fastest-growing retailers, we are always exploring expansion opportunities in multiple markets across the country," she said. "Every market and situation is unique, but ALDI stores are successful in cities, suburbs and rural communities. When it comes to selecting new store locations, we carefully consider several factors. Bottom line, we look for convenient locations for our customers that can support a high traffic volume daily."