Somerset County may soon get its first two Aldi supermarkets.

Aldi, one of the faster growing retail chains in America with 2,284 stores, plans to open on Route 22 in Watchung in the fall.

And Aldi, whose division headquarters is in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, is scheduled to appear Match 14 before the Branchburg Planning Board with a proposal to build a 19,053-square-foot grocery store at the intersection of Route 202 and Old York Road, across from police headquarters next to the Cornerstone at Branchburg senior community that’s under construction.

If approved, Aldi will be the second supermarket in Branchburg and the first south of Route 22.

Aldi has 61 locations in New Jersey, but none in Somerset County.

There is one in Hunterdon County on Route 202 in Flemington, nine in Middlesex County and three in Union County.

The Watchung location is a 23,428-square-foot store in Greenbrook Commons owned by Urban Edge Properties. It replaces Unique Thrift Shop.

Aldi will join tenants at Greenbrook Commons including BJ’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Qdoba, Chase Bank and Vitamin Shoppe.

“Bringing Aldi to Greenbrook Commons completes the leasing of a centrally located center with strong community demand,” said Leigh Lyons, senior vice president of leasing at Urban Edge, in a 2022 press release "Aldi is a terrific tenant for our grocery-anchored centers and we look forward to partnering with them as they continue to grow and expand their footprint in the markets in our portfolio.”

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In Branchburg, Aldi is asking for a subdivision of the property at one of the township's busiest intersections.

The supermarket would be on a 4.5-acre lot while the remaining 19.82 acres may be the site of a QuickChek, based in the Whitehouse Station section of Readington, which has proposed a 5,670-square-foot convenience store and gas station also at the intersection.

QuickChek has one other location in the township at the intersection of routes 22 and 28 in the North Branch section.

Three years ago, the Branchburg Township Committee approved zoning for the vacant property that used to be farmland at the intersection. The zone allows a variety of uses, including a hotel, fast-food restaurants and a convenience store with a gas station.

The new zoning and the senior community were part of the township's settlement of affordable housing litigation.

Aldi is on track to become the country's third-largest grocery retailer by store count.

The first Aldi, which is short for Albrecht Discount, opened in 1961 in Germany. Albrecht Discount split into two companies in 1966 – Aldi Sud, which owns Aldi stores, and Aldi Nord, which owns Trader Joe's.

Together, Aldi Sud and Aldi Nord own more than 10,000 grocery stores in 18 countries.

Aldi’s business model calls for cutting overhead costs such as a cart rental system. Shoppers insert a quarter to release a cart from the corral and receive the quarter back upon the cart’s return.

Other cost-saving practices include a smaller store footprint and open carton displays.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Aldi plans to open Branchburg, Watchung NJ supermarkets