Budget grocer Aldi will open its first store on Staten Island in 2023

STATEN ISLAND, NY – If you’re crossing the bridge to shop at Aldi – the grocery chain known for its bargain prices and exclusive store brands – you’re in luck: the supermarket retailer has announced plans to open its first Staten Island location in 2023.

“We are delighted to confirm that we plan to open a store in Staten Island next year,” Chris Daniels, vice president of Aldi’s South Windsor division, said in an email, responding to questions about expansion of the store in the borough. “At this time, we have no additional information to share, but we’ll be sure to contact you when more details become available.”

Operating more than 2,000 locations in 36 states, mostly concentrated in the eastern half of the country, Aldi is well known in Europe, especially Germany, where the company was founded in the 1940s by Karl and Theo Albrecht.

According to Aldi’s corporate website, the store expanded into the United States in 1976, opening its first US store in Iowa. Now based in Batavia, Illinois, the company employs over 25,000 people. The Staten Island store will be the 123rd Aldi store in New York State. All other New York boroughs currently have at least one Aldi store.

“Aldi is on track to become the third-largest grocery retailer by number of stores by the end of 2022,” the store notes on its website. “Our primary goal is to save people money on the foods and products they want most, and we do this by offering shoppers a curated selection of Aldi-exclusive brands. More than 90% of our store consists of Aldi exclusive products, and one out of three Aldi exclusive products is award-winning.

Not to be confused with Lidl, another Germany-based discount supermarket chain that opened a New Springville location at the Staten Island Mall, New Springville, in 2018, Aldi is a completely separate entity known for its smaller layout and selection. of very organized products.

“We are house brand pioneers,” the company notes on the New York portion of its site. “And our business is built on these core principles: simplicity matters, we sell the best foods at low prices, and everything we do is deliberately designed to save people money.”

So where is this store going? There’s no confirmed answer yet, but after a recent retail shift was noticed in Greenridge Plaza, with some stores closing and others announcing their move, rumors swirled on social media, many speculating that the Eltingville Mall is gearing up for a major change. .

“We will be moving into the convenience store next to Country Donuts beginning February 2023,” Greenridge owner Ralph’s Ices recently revealed after his store’s signage leaked information about next season’s move. “That’s really all I can tell you. I have no information on what will take our place.

KIMCO Realty, a Long Island-based real estate investment firm that is in charge of leasing the Greenridge Plaza property, did not confirm the Aldi rumors.

“Unfortunately, we can’t comment,” a rep said.

But other stores have also closed in this mall in recent months, fueling retail gossip: In June, Koolest Shoes closed, announcing its closure on social media.

“Since we reopened Koolest in March 2021, the owner has extended a temporary lease for us,” read the store’s Facebook post. “We’ve renewed it several times, but now they need our space because a new larger anchor tenant will be moving into the mall.”

According to KIMCO’s website, there are now seven open retail spaces available for rent in the mall, which is bordered by Richmond Avenue and Arthur Kill Road and already contains big chains like LA Fitness, Dollar Tree and McDonald’s.

“Greenridge Plaza is a bustling neighborhood center,” KIMCO says on its website, which advertises the spaces available for rent. “This multi-tenant mall has a strong mix of local, necessity and national stores.”

Stay tuned for more information.