ALDI set to open in January

Construction continues on Lancaster County’s first ALDI grocery store, which is set to open shortly after the new year.

Aaron Morrison/staff photographer

Construction on the new ALDI store behind Bojangles’ and next to Grinder’s restaurant is moving along. The store is scheduled to open on Jan. 15. A second ALDI grocery store is slated to open in the county in the summer. It will be in Indian Land.

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In late 2008, news began to spread that the grocery chain was looking to locate in Lancaster. Since that time, site work at Old Charlotte Road and North Park Drive has begun and a structure has been erected – all in preparation for the Jan. 15 open date.

Crews are on the scene daily landscaping the property and building at the store.

“We see Lancaster as an area where we can really grow with the community,” said Martha Swaney, an ALDI spokeswoman. “We will offer a smarter alternative for shoppers and bring jobs to the community.”

The Lancaster location, behind Bojangles’ and next to Grinder’s restaurant, will take on ALDI’s new store format, which features brighter colors and higher ceilings that allow for natural light to come in.

Swaney said work is on track for everything to be ready by Jan. 15.

Last month, ALDI conducted interviews for positions. Swaney didn’t know how many people have been hired but said the store tends to have between 10 and 15 employees. And those who work 20 or more hours a week will receive full benefits, she said.

ALDI is also building a new store in Indian Land. It’s scheduled to open next summer.

About ALDI

Headquartered in Batavia, Ill., ALDI was founded in 1976 and has locations throughout the United States, primary in the Midwest and along the East Coast.

About 95 percent of the items sold there fall under ALDI-select brands.

Swaney said ALDI’s items are up to 50 percent cheaper than its competitors. A main reason is that the store encourages shoppers to bring their own bags, a cost that is automatically added in at other stores.

If a shopper doesn’t have a bag, he or she can buy one. Depending on the type of bag, the price ranges from 6 cents to $1.99.

The store also uses a shopping cart deposit system in which a person pays 25 cents to use a cart and gets that money back upon returning the cart after shopping.