THURSDAY: ALDI Grocery Store Grand Opening in Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- A new grocery store will open in Alexandria this Thursday, Feb. 23. ALDI will open at 4580 Duke St. with a grand opening on that date, the company recently announced.

The brand-new store opens in a spot familiar to many Alexandrians: The former location of Mango Mike's restaurant.

This will be the City's third ALDI, and with more than 1,600 stores in 35 states, serving more than 40 million customers each month, the new Alexandria store promises to bring high-quality, affordable groceries to even more customers, the company said in its announcement.

To celebrate the opening of the new Alexandria store, ALDI will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8:25 a.m., at the grand opening on Thursday, Feb. 23. The public is invited to attend. Following the ceremony, the first 100 customers will receive a golden ticket, each containing ALDI gift cards of various amounts. Customers can also tour the store, sample ALDI exclusive brand products and enter an on-site sweepstakes for a chance to win a year’s supply of ALDI produce. ALDI offers a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including several organic produce items.

“We value our customers in Alexandria, and we’re excited to open our new Alexandria store to continue offering high-quality groceries at prices they love,” said Jeff Baehr, Frederick division vice president for ALDI. “We listen carefully to our customers to make sure we’re providing the groceries they need the most. That’s why we carry a variety of fresh produce, USDA Choice meats, organic items and gluten-free choices, all at affordable prices that our competitors can’t match, in a shopping environment that’s easy and quick to navigate.”

Thanks to input from customers, the Alexandria store will present a new look, offering a modern and convenient shopping experience. Customers will notice expanded sections for their favorite products, a robust fresh produce selection, brighter colors, high ceilings, natural lighting and environmentally-friendly building materials – such as recycled materials, energy-saving refrigeration and LED lighting. ALDI stores also feature a simple-to-navigate layout, easy-to-spot signage and prominent product prices.

ALDI is proud to offer a wide range of premium groceries at prices up to 50 percent less than the competitors, according to the company. Beyond staples such as bread, dairy and a variety of fresh produce, ALDI offers a growing organic selection, USDA Choice meats, the liveGfree gluten-free product line and better-for-you options, including the SimplyNature line of products free from over 125 artificial ingredients and preservatives and the Never Any! line of meats free from antibiotics, added hormones and animal by-products. To better serve customers and their growing families, ALDI now carries a full line of baby products, Little Journey, which offers customers award-winning diapers, wipes, training pants, formula, organic food and snacks.

All ALDI exclusive brand food products are free of added MSG, certified synthetic colors and partially hydrogenated oils, and since more than 90 percent of the products available are under ALDI exclusive brands, customers can feel good about the food they buy at ALDI. Plus, ALDI ensures its exclusive brands meet or exceed the national brands on taste and quality by conducting rigorous testing on all products. ALDI stands behind this quality with a Double Guarantee: If for any reason a customer doesn’t like an ALDI exclusive brand food, ALDI will give them their money back and replace the product.

In addition, ALDI continues to provide ALDI Finds: premium food and household products that are only in stores for a limited time. ALDI Finds vary week to week and themes usually match the season. Information can be found on aldi.us and in weekly ALDI ads.

ALDI saves customers money by cutting overhead costs through practices such as a cart rental system: ALDI shoppers insert a quarter to release a cart from the corral and receive the quarter back upon the cart’s return. Other cost-saving practices include a smaller store footprint, open carton displays and encouraging customers to bring their own shopping bags. ALDI also saves shoppers money by keeping stores open during prime shopping times.

The new Alexandria location will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. All ALDI stores nationwide accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

ALDI is in the midst of an accelerated growth plan, and by the end of 2018, there will be nearly 2,000 ALDI stores serving 45 million customers each month from coast to coast.

ALDI offers employees wages and benefits that are higher than the national average for the retail industry. Part-time staff working at least 25 hours per week receive full health insurance benefits and dental coverage, and all ALDI employees are invited to participate in the 401(k) program.

Location of new store (Google maps):

PHOTO of ALDI interior on Van Dorn Street/Patch photo