Part of an ongoing expansion project across the U.S., German grocer Aldi announced the opening of its 2,000th store on Tuesday, according to a release from the company.

Its new wave of expansion across the states will include opening 70 new stores in 2020.

"Each new store is an opportunity to serve another community, which is an honor and responsibility we do not take lightly," said U.S. CEO Jason Hart.

As the retailer cites rising food costs across the country, it says that it continues to lower prices on hundreds of items to meet the needs of customers in a time with "increased need for savings," according to Hart.

Having already invested US$5bn in a multi-year, nationwide growth initiative, Aldi is also in the process of updating existing stores amid opening hundreds of new locations.

Its "agressive growth plan" will enter Arizona, Aldi's 37th state, later this year with four new stores scheduled to open in the greater Phoenix area.

Further down the line, Aldi says it will break ground on a new distribution center in Alabama in 2021 - serving stores across the Florida panhandle and Southern states.

The grocer currently operates 180 stores in Alabama and Florida. News of its plans for the new distribution site in Loxley, Alabama, was considered by the company as a "monumental investment".