Lowell residents have long clamored for an Aldi store, and the budget grocery chain has apparently set its sights on the community.
Earlier this year, the company announced plans to add 800 stores by 2028, starting with 50 stores in 2024. Aldi was founded in Germany in 1961 and established its first store in the United States in 1976. It is known for offering a no-frills shopping experience which translates to lower prices than many of its competitors.
“We use AI to track where people are excited about the Aldi experience,” explains Ida Dreamer, head of Northern Operations and Property Exploration (NOPE) for Aldi. She notes that the company’s algorithm flagged numerous comments in the Lowell Chatter Facebook group as indicating the city would be a good place for a new store.
“Initially, we got the state wrong and ended up opening a store in Lowell, Indiana instead,” Dreamer says. “Whoops! But we have it right now.”
One of the appeals of Lowell is its many locally sourced food options. “We heard about this thing called window fishing at Fish & Finn Outfitters and are really excited to try that to provide our customers with the freshest fish possible,” says U. Kane Whish, who is in charge of the development of the Lowell location.
When reached for comment, a representative for Meijer’s scoffed at the idea of Aldi being competition for their Lowell store. “Really? No one is going to shop there – they don’t even have an ‘s’ at the end of their name,” said the individual who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter.
He also seemed unconcerned that any store would be competition for Meijer’s locally. “We own this town,” he told Lowell’s First Look rather menacingly.
The soon-to-be-vacant Dollar Tree store on W. Main Street seems to be the targeted spot for the new Aldi to open, and Lowell’s First Look caught up with Shannon Kennedy, executive director of the Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce, to see if she had any other details to share.
“Who told you that?” she asked, rolling her eyes. “Everyone knows: that building is going to be a Big Boy.”
Actually…there IS an Aldi coming to town. They’ve been sniffing around the property owners up and down Main St. all winter. And as turns out…it’s going to be a LOT closer to Meijer than they’d like.
Ask around. Do your homework.
In Lowell, the retail landscape shows an interesting contrast between industries. The abundance of unnecessary marijuana dispensaries. However, when it comes to essential groceries, one major player seems to dominate the market. This disparity in market dynamics raises intriguing questions about competition, consumer options, and the overall diversity of offerings available in the area.
We need to start a petition, to open up more grocery stores in Lowell, not marijuana dispensaries.
Ken F Miller 245/65R 17 Kennnth F Miller