ALDI to expand into N.J. and N.Y. markets

Select assortment discount grocer ALDI is looking to purchase or lease property in community and regional shopping districts in greater Philadelphia, N.J. and N.Y., including: Brooklyn, Bronx, Long Island, Queens and Staten Island. ALDI plans to build new stores in the region starting in 2009, and will be working to secure value-priced store sites during the coming months. ALDI stores are typically 17,000 s/f, with 10,000 s/f dedicated to retail space. Value-priced ALDI sites require a minimum of 85 dedicated parking spaces. A grocery retailer that has grown without merger or acquisition, ALDI has gone from averaging 20 to 30 new stores per year to opening more than 100 new locations across the U.S. in 2008, including two new markets in R.I. this spring and Florida in the fall. ALDI, a leader in the international grocery retailing industry, entered the U.S. market in 1976. Today more than 950 U.S. ALDI stores are located in 28 states primarily from Kansas to the East Coast serving more than 15 million customers each month.  A select assortment discount grocer featuring its own ALDI select brands, ALDI applies smart and efficient operational and business practices to save customers up to 50 percent on their grocery bill.  ALDI sells more than 1,300 of the most frequently purchased grocery and household items in manageable, non-bulk packaging.