Aldi set to open Oct. 18 in Walmart’s back yard

Aldi’s new store at 1006 S.W. 14th St. in Bentonville is slated to open at 8 a.m., Oct. 18. The Aldi store in Northwest Arkansas is located within a 1.5 miles of Walmart’s new concept Neighborhood Market, its convenience format Walmart To Go and Walmart Store No. 100 across from the retail giant’s home office.

Aldi said the Bentonville store is part of the discount grocery retailer’s $3.4 billion U.S. expansion plan to open 2,500 stores by 2022. Aldi serves more than 40 million customers each week at around 1,800 stores located in 35 states. When Aldi completes it expansion to 2,500 stores it will become the third largest grocery retailer behind Walmart and Kroger.

“Our approach to grocery shopping is simple, fast and unlike anything customers will find elsewhere,” said Mark Bersted, Olathe division vice president for ALDI. “We’re thrilled to open our newest store in Bentonville, and invite even more shoppers to experience the ALDI difference, designed to make high-quality foods affordable and accessible.”

He told Talk Business & Politics hiring for the Bentonville location is complete at 16 people earning an average starting wage of $12.70 per hour with a pay increase after six months. He said Aldi’s practice of streamlining its staffing is passed along in savings to customers. He said stores typically employ between 15 and 20 workers.

The Aldi store is roughly 22,000 square feet, slightly larger than the Aldi store located near downtown Rogers. This will be the fifth location in Northwest Arkansas, adding to stores in South Fayetteville and Siloam Springs, Springdale and Rogers.

Aldi paid $901,658 for two lots totaling 2.72 acres where the new store is located. This area of the city is growing with several new multi-family housing units under construction near the store. Bersted said Aldi chose this location in Bentonville because of the proximity to households and traffic. The state transportation department estimates more than 35,000 vehicles per day travel Highway 102 between Walton Boulevard in Bentonville and Centerton.

“As the demand for Aldi continues to grow, so do our real estate options. Bottom line, we want to be conveniently located for our shoppers,” he said.

Bersted said the Bentonville store layout focuses on fresh food, produce, dairy and baked goods. He said the store features open ceilings, natural lighting and environmentally-friendly building materials. The store’s hours will be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Aldi also focuses heavily on exclusive private brands through its vast network of suppliers across the globe given its longtime presence in Germany and the United Kingdom. Roughly 90% of the items sold in an Aldi store are exclusive private label.

Aldi said its buyers add nearly 100 new and unique products each week to two or three aisles of general merchandise typically in the middle of the store. Dutch ovens and rain boots are popular items near the approaching Thanksgiving season. Patio and summer fun items from large outdoor patio sets to life jackets, floats and beach towels are also popular finds in the spring.

Other differences between Aldi and traditional grocery discounters like Walmart Neighborhood Market are the 25-cent deposits required to access a shopping cart and bagging one’s own groceries in bags customers provide themselves.

Northwest Arkansas consumers will have to wait on the grocery delivery service the retailer recently unveiled with Instacart. This partnership between Aldi and Instacart aims to bring same-day delivery to more than 5,000 zip codes by Thanksgiving.

The major markets getting the new service include San Diego, New York City, Miami, Raleigh and Minneapolis. Arkansas is not on the list for this service. Instacart said the region is still being evaluated. Aldi is also evaluating a pickup option in several markets that will also be fulfilled through Instacart.