BATAVIA, ILL. — Discount grocery chain Aldi US has named chief operating officer Atty McGrath as chief executive officer with the promotion of 10-year CEO Jason Hart to group COO on the executive board of parent company Aldi South.

Plans call for McGrath to take over Aldi US CEO duties on Sept. 1, when Hart is slated to begin his new role overseeing Aldi’s global operations in Salzburg, Austria. Both executives have spent their entire grocery industry careers at Aldi.

“I am honored to take on this new role with Aldi supporting our global business,” Hart said. “The growth and positive development of the Aldi brand we’ve achieved together in the US is a tribute to our incredible teams across the business. I look forward to working with Aldi teams around the globe to drive our growth and success.”

During his tenure, Hart has led the largest expansion of Aldi’s US store base since the limited-assortment, hard-discount grocer launched in the United States in 1976. The private label-driven food retailer nearly doubled its locations from 1,300 stores in 32 states when Hart began as CEO in April 2015 to 2,500 stores in 39 states currently, making the company the second-largest US supermarket chain by store count, behind The Kroger Co. Hart also was at the helm when Aldi US acquired regional operator Southeastern Grocers Inc. (SEG) — parent of the Winn-Dixie chain — in March 2024 and later sold SEG and its Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket banners to a consortium of private investors and C&S Wholesale Grocers in February 2025.

Hart started at Aldi US as a district manager trainee in 1993 and rose through the ranks to become vice president in June 2000, president in January 2006 and CEO nine years later.

“On behalf of the entire Aldi US team, I extend heartfelt thanks to Jason for his unwavering dedication and remarkable leadership,” McGrath said.

A 20-year Aldi US veteran, McGrath started with the company as a district manager in January 2003 and was promoted to director of store operations in June 2007, division vice president in July 2013, president in September 2021 and COO in January 2025.

She will lead Aldi US as it continues its aggressive store expansion under a $9 billion, five-year plan announced last November that calls for 800 new stores nationwide, including more than 225 new locations in 2025. Aldi said it has opened 55 stores so far this year and expects to open 75 more locations this summer in key growth markets such as Arizona, California, Florida and South Carolina and in established markets like the Midwest and Northeast.

“I am excited to build upon our momentum, expand our footprint and continue adapting to serve our customers,” McGrath said.

Aldi has ramped up its rapid expansion as consumer value-seeking behavior rose amid elevated grocery inflation in the post-pandemic period, gaining a host of new customers drawn by its everyday low prices and store mix of approximately 90% private brands. The chain already had been snaring market share from mass retailers and traditional supermarkets for years with a formula offering a curated selection of private label products, a compact store format, competitive pricing and a simplified shopping experience. Aldi, too, has steadily expanded its product assortment, offering more fresh foods, meal solutions and natural/organic items.