Aldi plans to add a third store in Spartanburg.
The Germany-based discount grocery chain has signed a lease on the 23,500-square-foot former Office Max space at 150 E. Blackstock Road in the strip center across from the Dorman Centre.
Thom Behtz, a spokesman for Aldi, said the company plans to begin construction this fall and hopes to open the store in the spring of 2017.
“Aldi is currently one of the fastest growing retailers in the U.S.,” Behtz said. “In fact, by the end of 2018 there will be nearly 2,000 Aldi stores from coast to coast, serving 45 million customers. We already have nearly 1,500 stores in 34 states, serving 30 million customers every month.”
Behtz said the store will complement the company’s east-side store, which opened in 1999 at 1605 E. Main St., and the store it opened last year at 4301 Highway 9 in Boiling Springs.
He said the company chooses sites based on population density, proximity to competition, cost of the property and traffic patterns.
“Rising demand for Aldi is fueling significant expansion as growing numbers of smart shoppers are discovering they can save time and money at Aldi without sacrificing quality,” Behtz said. “We are always looking to be conveniently based where Aldi shoppers are located.”
Ben Hines and Lynn Spencer, principals of Spartanburg-based Spencer/Hines Properties, along with a silent partner, own the strip center.
Hines said the company reached out to his nephew, Zach Hines, who works out of the Spencer/Hines office in Greenville.
The center recently landed Papa’s and Beer, a family-owned Mexican concept expected to open in early July in the former Brasilia Churrasco Steakhouse location.
Aldi’s competitor, Germany-based Lidl, is planning a more than 36,000-square-foot store on 3.5 acres at 8180 Warren H. Abernathy Highway beside Shogun Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar.
“We are very excited about Aldi’s decision to add a store on the west side,” Ben Hines said. “This is another feather in the cap for Spartanburg. It will be a tremendous asset for Aldi shoppers who previously had to drive across town. They’re a great partner, a great company and we’re very pleased to have them.”
ALDI stores are known for their streamlined interiors that feature popular grocery and household items from its exclusive brands at discount prices.
For more information, visit www.aldi.us.
