Business & Tech

Photos: Inside the New Aldi Grocery Just Outside Fridley

A crowd showed up for a peek inside the Columbia Heights store.

Friday is the first day of business for the at 50th and Central avenues NE in Columbia Heights, a block or so south of Fridley.

On Thursday, the public got a look at the store during a well-attended midday open house.

Earlier, Vice President Gordon Nesbit spoke about the new store in an interview. Nesbit leads the chain's division in Minnesota, where the Columbia Heights store is the 29th. The area around the new store "underserved from Aldi right now," he said.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

But isn't the area already well-served by ?

"Our shoppers are usually two-store shoppers. For us to be located near our competitors makes it convenient for our customers," Nesbit said, adding: "The American consumer is convenience-driven."

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Aldi has a niche. "We feel we offer a high-quality product at a lower price," he said. "The loyal Aldi's customer will drive a distance, passing other stores along the way."

The Columbia Heights store was built to Aldi's "current prototype," Nesbit said. "Our prototype has evolved"—getting slightly bigger over the years, for one thing.

Also, he said, the equipment in the stores is "much more energy efficient." He cited high-efficiency fan motors and refrigeration equipment, as well as motion-sensitive lighting in areas such as bathrooms and break rooms—but not on the store's sales floor. Those lights stay on whenever the store is open, which isn't around the clock like several competitors.

"All Minnesota stores have the same hours," Nesbit said. "The decision to do that is to keep stores open only during peak shopping hours."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Fridley