Aldi set to open first Maine location, with others expected

Aldi is rapidly expanding in New England, and Thursday's Portland store opening is just the first expected to debut in southern Maine. The Batavia, Ill.-based grocery chain is opening stores at a rate of three a week, with 180 U.S. locations planned for this year. It aims to grow to 3,200 stores by 2028, up from 2,600 today Chris Daniels, an Aldi regional vice president, and his crew offered a media tour on Wednesday of the new Portland store, located in a shopping center at 1100 Brighton Ave. The Portland store has 12,000 square feet of retail space and an additional 10,000 square feet of receiving and warehouse space. The store has a wide selection of produce (including Madison-grown Backyard Farms tomatoes), meats and cheeses, seafood, wine, packaged and frozen foods. An aisle devoted to seasonal products — dubbed the "aisle of wonder" by employees  — features gardening supplies, footwear and cooking products, among other items. Like Trader Joe's, Aldi has its areas of specialty, including wine, seafood and even an array of charcuterie products. (Aldi and Trader Joe's have a related family tree, with ownership by the German Albrecht family.) Business model While smaller than a typical supermarket, Aldi says shoppers can still complete about 90% of their grocery list. "We know people go to multiple grocery stores, but we want to be the first stop," said Daniels. Aldi competes on price. About 90% of the offerings are private label or store brands. Aldi claims a family of four can save $4,000 a year over a competitor. On the expense side, Aldi says it can cut costs by offering a narrower selection of products, while getting bulk-pricing from wholesale providers. At the store level, it saves money by having customers bag their own groceries. To keep the shopping carts from going missing, customers pay a quarter deposit, which is returned when they bring back the cart. The Portland store is expected to employ 15 to 20 staff members. Maine expansion Aldi has no firm plans for its next Maine stores. It is scouting out other possible locations in the Portland area and south, Daniels said. "We're going to have more [stores] in Maine. We're looking for other possibilities," Daniels told Mainebiz. Elsewhere in New England, Aldi has 17 stores in southern New Hampshire — the closest to Maine being in Newington and Dover. The retailer also has three stores in southern Vermont and numerous stores throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. The Portland store is scheduled to open for business at 7 a.m. on Thursday.