Discount grocer Aldi is launching pilot program in the US to further lower its already discounted prices on more than 100 of some of the most commonly purchased items. Aldi, a leader in the international grocery retailing industry, entered the US market in 1976 and operates nearly 900 US stores in 27 states. The price cutting action is targeted at store in the St. Louis (West North Central) region of the US.

"We are doing this for our loyal customer base as well as giving people new to Aldi a further incentive to try us," said Paul Piorkowski, division Vice President.  "We find that once people shop at Aldi, they keep coming back."

The reduced prices are intended to stay, with Aldi re-evaluating periodically what are among the most frequently purchased items for customers. Market conditions also will factor in to long-term pricing. The company will look at duplicating the effort across the country following its pilot in the St. Louis area.

Food price inflation rose 5.3% in 2007 over 2006 - the largest increase since 1990, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In contrast, Piorkowski said, customers can expect as much as 12% to 27% price cuts on everything from frozen foods to refrigerated items to dry goods.