Discount grocer entering Buckhead market.
Aldi, the German based discount grocer, has reportedly signed a lease on the former Sports Authority at Buckhead Pavilion (fka Sports Authority Center) on Peachtree Road in Buckhead. Sports Authority was the center's anchor for many years until it closed last year after filing for bankruptcy.
The space, which measures just over 42,000 square feet, is far larger than a typical Aldi store. That said, sources say that Aldi intends to occupy about 18,000 square feet of the space with plans to sublease the balance to another tenant.
The new Aldi will put it a stone's throw from its corporate cousin, Trader Joe's, which opened in a former OfficeMax nearly in late 2008.
German brothers Theo and Karl Albrecht opened the first Aldi (a syllabic abbreviation for Albrecht Diskont) in 1946. The company split into two in 1960, adopting the names Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd in 1962. Theo operated Aldi Nord and Karl Albrecht operated Aldi Süd.
Aldi Süd, as simply Aldi, entered the U.S. market in Iowa in 1976, and today has over 1,600 locations throughout 35 states. Karl, of Aldi Nord, bought Trader Joe's in 1979.
Today Aldi operates nearly 60 locations across the state including recently opened locations in Tucker and Peachtree Corners. Both the Tucker and Peachtree Corners locations sport the company's new, upscale design with enhanced interiors and an emphasis on organic produce.
Trader Joe's, by comparison, operates only seven locations in Georgia.
Aldi is seen by many as "low brow," or on the level of Big Lots, where people have the ill-conceived notion that only expired food is sold. In reality, Aldi, like Trader Joe's, emphasizes a "no frills" approach with stores largely stocked with private label merchandise that is both cheaper to the consumer and more profitable to the company.
Attempts to reach Aldi for comment via their preferred media inquiry method were met with unfulfilled promises on the part of their PR firm of record, Weber Shandwick.
Are you excited at the prospect of having an Aldi in Buckhead? Did you know Trader Joe's and Aldi were kinda sorta cousins? What would you like to see open in the remaining space? ... Are you like me, and when you think of this center you miss EatZi's even more?
Please share your thoughts below.