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ALDI to reopen Thursday

Company official: ‘Stores are easier to navigate’

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
ALDI, located at 2736 First Ave. S, is set to reopen on Thursday after a remodel and expansion of the store.

ALDI, which has undergone an extensive interior and exterior remodel, will reopen its Fort Dodge grocery store on Thursday, the company has announced.

“The updated ALDI store layout has even more to offer shoppers,” said Matt Lilla, Faribault division vice president. “Stores are easier to navigate and have more space for the products people love the most. We can’t wait to show our customers in Fort Dodge their newly remodeled store, and continue providing the affordable, high-quality foods we know they love at ALDI.”

The store will open with normal operating hours, which are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The remodel of the Fort Dodge store, 2736 First Ave. S., is part of a $1.9 billion initiative to remodel and expand more than 1,300 ALDI stores nationwide by the end of 2020.

The company is investing $3.6 million to update five stores in Des Moines and the surrounding metropolitan area by the end of 2019.

According to Lilla, the updated Fort Dodge store layout features expansive refrigeration space to accommodate the products people want most.

Open ceilings, natural lighting and environmentally friendly building materials, are also part of the redesign.

The store is about 20 to 25 percent larger than it was before.

That’s because ALDI bought the space that used to house a Dollar General store.

The parking lot has also been reconstructed and is designed to be more stable than the old one.

A grand opening will be held June 20.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held that day at 8:25 a.m.

ALDI, which has operated stores since 1976, has more than 1,600 stores in 35 states.

It has 13 locations in Iowa, including Ames, Des Moines and Mason City.

The Fort Dodge store employs about 10 people.

According to information on the official ALDI website, the company takes “a simple, cost-effective approach to grocery shopping that saves shoppers on their grocery bills.”

One of the things the company is known for is its shopping cart rental system, which involves depositing a quarter to get a cart from the rack.

“Not only do customers get their deposit back, there are no stray carts taking up space in the parking lot or causing dents to cars,” a statement on the website reads. “By not having to hire someone to police the shopping carts, we are able to pass the savings on to our customers.”

The company also encourages customers to bring their own shopping bags.

“The end result is that we not only save our customers money by avoiding adding the cost of the bag to our prices, but also precious resources,” a statement on the website reads.

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