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Discount grocer ALDI opens in Little Elm
Emily Hill/Staff photo - New ALDI Store Manager Denny Beasley cuts the ribbon at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for opening of ALDI, located at 2650 Little Elm Parkway across from the Kroger Marketplace.
Published: Thursday, March 22, 2012 3:55 PM CDT
Got a quarter?
The Town of Little Elm welcomed discount grocer ALDI this week with about 1,300 shoppers visiting the new store before the official public opening at its location on Little Elm Parkway.
The store, which employs 15 people with 80 percent of them Little Elm residents, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday morning and offered customers a chance to shop and get to know the store as well as offering product samples. Little Elm Mayor Charles Platt welcomed the new store to the town before ALDI Store Manager Denny Beasley, who has opened two stores before, cut the ribbon.
"It's a positive impact," Platt said. "What you need in a community to sustain it is diversity. It gives citizens in Little Elm an opportunity to save in these tough economic times."
Members of ALDI Denton Division attended the ribbon-cutting as well.
"We're really excited being in the community," said Scott Huska, ALDI vice president for Denton Division. "It's an area we've targeted over the past two years."
Huska said Little Elm fit their model of finding a location with vibrant growing retail. ALDI has opened 37 stores in Texas and will open eight more stores this year across the nation. He stressed that customers at ALDI can find the "highest quality products at a low price."
According to a release, ALDI reduces overhead costs through having a smaller store, open carton displays and asking customers to bring their own shopping bags. This allows ALDI to offer exclusive brands for prices up to 50 percent less than traditional grocers.
With only five aisles, the store features a new look to ALDI with high ceilings, natural lighting and energy-saving lights. The store even includes a bike rail out front. It is one of ALDI's biggest stores.
"It's a great company," Beasley said. "Word of mouth is their business, which shows how the product is so good it sells itself."
Beasley has worked with ALDI for 13 years. He has opened an ALDI in both Carrollton and Lyndhurst, Ohio.
"Little Elm is definitely going to benefit from ALDI being here," Beasley said.
The store offers products such as bananas at $0.29, oranges at $0.99, spaghetti sauce at $1.19 and Fit and Active Multigrain Waffles at $1.29. Hot commodities shoppers were purchasing during the first shopping day included milk, eggs and bananas.
Some people visited the new store to shop while others wanted to take a look around and check out the new store.
"So far so good," Ellie K., one shopper, said. "I haven't done any shopping but the prices look good. I'll be back."
ALDI will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. The store accepts cash, debit and EBT cards. It is located at 2650 Little Elm Parkway in Little Elm.
"Congratulations to ALDI," Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Cornelious said. "Thank you for coming to Little Elm. We support you in everything you need."