The German discount grocery retailer Aldi has begun hiring for its 12,000-square-foot store, located in the Pine Tree Shopping Center on Portland’s outer Brighton Avenue.
The German discount grocery retailer Aldi will open its first Maine store in March, in the Pine Tree Shopping Center on Portland’s outer Brighton Avenue.
The company signed a lease for the former Big Lots store location, at 1100 Brighton Ave., and has been renovating the space, some 12,000 square feet — roughly the size of a Trader Joe’s.
Chris Daniels, regional vice president for Aldi, told Mainebiz that all 12,500 of the company’s stores around the world — over 2,400 in the U.S.— are intentionally smaller than traditional grocery stores in the states, “making them much easier to navigate.”
Maine's first Aldi grocery store will open in March in Portland's Pine Tree Shopping Center on Brighton Avenue. PHOTO / TINA FISCHER
Close to 90% of store items are private label. The stores carry a line of organic products as well, and most store brands are free of synthetic coloring and MSG.
In addition to groceries, health care and pet care products, some Aldi stores sell a limited selection of toys and apparel. Daniels could not confirm the range of products the new Portland store will carry, or whether it will include a pharmacy.
Daniels did say the company has begun hiring for what he predicts will be 15 to 20 full- and part-time associates.
New England growth
The Portland store will be one of several new stores the company is opening in New England.
A Seabrook. N.H., store opened its doors in November, joining nine other Aldis in the Granite State, including locations in Dover and Newington.
New stores in Lynn and Acton, Mass., and in East Windsor, Conn., are under construction. All three locations are expected to open this summer, at which point Aldi will have 80 stores in New England.
In the Pine Tree Shopping Center, Aldi will join Lowe’s, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Dollar Tree, Applebee’s and Aspen Dental. A JoAnn’s store in the plaza closed last year.
The Pine Tree Center is managed by the New York-based Brixmore Property Group.
Aldi background
Aldi and Trader Joe's stores share a common origin. The Aldi company was founded by the Albrecht family in 1945 in Essen, Germany. In 1961, the company split into two separate entities. Aldi Süd owns the U.S. stores and Aldi Nord purchased Trader Joe's in 1979. Aldi Süd's U.S. base is in Batavia, Ill.
