Aldi has more than 1,500 stores across 34 states, including 90 in Florida. The chain is known for its no-frills approach, showcasing merchandise in its cardboard packaging, charging for bags, and requiring customers to bag their own groceries.
Aldi has no deli or bakery departments. Like Trader Joe’s, which was founded by Theo Albrecht, brother and rival of Aldi’s founder Karl Albrecht, Aldi offers mainly its own private-label brands. That means no Cheerios or Rice Krispies, just similar, Aldi’s-branded alternatives.
“The stores are small and easier to navigate,” Jeff Williams, Aldi’s director of real estate said while outlining the store’s plans to a Lehigh Acres Architectural review board.
Such cost-saving methods keep Aldi’s prices extremely low, about 30 percent cheaper than Wal-Mart for produce and packaged goods according to a 2015 report by Business Insider.
Representatives for Aldi have been tight-lipped on the Lehigh location, offering few details other than a general time frame for opening.
According to a report from November 2015, the new store will be at 2803 Lee Blvd., on the old First Christian Church site. But an Aldi publicist declined to confirm this then
Now the work area has been fenced and the church is slated for demolition.
For more on Aldi, visit aldi.us or facebook.com/aldi.usa.