Aldi Plans First U.S. Mall Store

Discount grocer Aldi plans to open its first store located inside an enclosed shopping mall in the United States.

Scheduled to open in May 2011 in the Westfield Chicago Ridge, a south suburb of Chicago, the 20,000-square-foot Aldi store will feature an interior entrance, five checkout lanes and a special loading zone at the mall entrance for enhanced convenience when loading groceries into their cars.

“We are pleased to partner with [mall operator] Westfield on this fresh new approach to shopping convenience,” Mike Jessen, Aldi divisional VP, said in a statement. “The success of this concept [of grocery stores inside shopping malls] has been illustrated at a number of shopping centers, and it’s clear that mall shoppers embrace the convenience of one-stop shopping.”

Of the 87 grocers in Westfield’s portfolio of 119 shopping centers internationally, only six are in the United States.

Based in Germany, Aldi operates more than 1,000 U.S. stores in 31 states.