Aldi to establish division headquarters and distribution center in Dinwiddie

German grocery retailer Aldi plans to establish a division headquarters and 500,000-square-foot distribution center in Dinwiddie County.

Virginia competed against North Carolina for the $57 million project, which is expected to create 145 jobs.

Aldi operates more than 1,500 US stores in 34 states. It plans to have 2,000 stores by the end of 2018.

The company currently has 32 stores in Virginia and expects to have 60 within the next five years.

“The access to qualified and capable employees and transportation options first attracted us to this location, but it was the integrity and positive attitude of the Dinwiddie County leaders that truly won us over,” Jason Hart, Aldi’s CEO, said in a statement.

Economic development incentives for the project include a $450,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund and $680,000 in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission.

Aldi also is eligible to receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

Aldi is the second Germany-based grocer to announce plans for a major distribution center in Virginia in little more than a year. Lidl is building a regional headquarters and distribution center in Spotsylvania County and has set up its U.S, headquarters in Arlington. Together the Lidl facilities are expected to create 700 jobs.