As the U.S. grocery sector consolidates, store foot-traffic data shows the different trajectories of German discounter Aldi’s and the two grocers — Winn-Dixie and Harveys — it plans to acquire. The analytics firm Placer.ai reported Aldi has benefited from strong foot-traffic growth this year. In July, visits were up 3% over July of last year and up 32.5% over July 2019. The deal would add roughly 400 stores to Aldi’s U.S. portfolio and expand its presence in Florida, Alabama and Georgia. Trader Joe’s, another discount grocer, also showed gains in foot traffic last month, according to Placer.ai. Meanwhile, traditional supermarket chains Winn-Dixie, Kroger and Albertsons experienced a dip in foot traffic compared with July of last year, according to Placer.ai data. Kroger and Albertsons Cos. are in the midst of a $24.6 billion merger. Harveys had almost 50 locations in 2019 and has only 25 now, which explains its significant monthly declines of 40% or more this year compared with 2019, according to Placer.ai.