Aldi, a discount grocer known for its large selection of private-label items, is set to open its 1,900th U.S. store next week at 6755 Mira Mesa Boulevard.
The new Mira Mesa store, which takes over a long-empty storefront once occupied by Fresh & Easy, is the privately held chain's second in the city of the San Diego and seventh in the county. The grocery store will open its doors to the public on Wednesday. Thursday, Aldi will commentate the occasion with grand-opening events that include a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8 a.m and giveaways.
First opened in in 1961, Aldi specializes in creating a frill-free, utilitarian shopping environment where customers can expect to find good deals on high-quality products. The grocer, which shares a familial connection to Trader Joe’s, is known for offering a pared down selection of mostly private label products, meaning shoppers will usually find an Aldi version of a popular brand-name item that's meant to be as good as, if not better than, the competition.
The roughly 12,000 square-foot Mira Mesa store follows the familiar Aldi formula with a warehouse feel, 25-cent grocery cart rentals and a layout that includes just a handful of aisles meant to make the shopping experience more efficient for shoppers. The venue will also carry the company's evolved product lineup, which features more fresh, organic and specialty diet items.
With the opening, the grocer's California presence grows to 66 stores. It will open a total of 15 stores in the state this year. The region is part of the firm’s $5 billion strategic push to make the foreign name more recognizable from coast to coast.
“Growing our national footprint over the last several years has been extremely rewarding as we gain new Aldi fans across the country, including right here in Southern California," said Tom Cindel, an operations and logistics executive with the company. "We’re eager to introduce even more San Diego shoppers to the affordable, fresh and convenient foods Aldi offers every day.”
Aldi Mira Mesa will operate daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday's grand-opening festivities include a so-called "Golden Ticket" giveaway where the first 100 customers will receive gift cards. Shoppers can also sample Aldi-brand foods and enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a year’s supply of produce.
