Discount grocer ALDI opens first R.I. store

WARWICK – German discount grocer ALDI Inc. this week opened its first Rhode Island store, at 444 Quaker Lane, and is planning to open three more by the end of this year.
“ALDI presents a unique opportunity for savvy shoppers in Rhode Island,” said Bruce Persohn, division vice president. “Why would you pay more when you can get products that meet or exceed the quality and taste of national name brands for a fraction of the cost?”
ALDI claims to save customers 50 percent to 90 percent of their grocery bill, without requiring them to buy in bulk. Its cost-cutting tactics include selling a limited number of private-label brands, keeping limited hours, having shoppers bring or buy recyclable bags, and installing a shopping-cart deposit system that charges a 25-cent fee to retrieve a carriage but refunds that fee if the carriage is returned to the shopping-cart corral.
The chain says it keeps its stores open only during prime shopping times; the local stores will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“As evidenced by our growth,” Petersohn said, “once people try us, they keep coming back.”
Future ALDI Food Market locations in Rhode Island include 1138 Pontiac Ave. in Cranston, slated to open by this summer; plus 60 Newport Ave. in East Providence and 541 Smith St. in Providence, both slated to open this fall. The Providence store is slated for the Smith Hill site formerly occupied by a Valueland Supermarket. (READ MORE)
ALDI Inc., based in Germany, entered the U.S. market in 1976. It has nearly 900 stores in 28 states, from the East Coast to Kansas. To learn more, visit www.ALDI.com.