Aldi Süd unveiled its 1,000th restyled store on Wednesday, modelled on a new concept design that aims to transform all regional stores.
Including the most recent store, which is located on Amselstraße 10 in Mannheim, Germany, more than half of the 1,890 Aldi Süd stores in the south and west of the country have now been revamped.
The regional refurbishment programme kicked off in May 2016, and all locations are expected to be completed by 2020.
Mannheim Opening
Construction on the Mannheim branch took roughly seven months. At the grand opening, attendees were welcomed with a food and wine truck.
At the launch, customers were able to avail of product tastings from the 'Meine Backwelt' (My Baking World) range, as well as discounted promotional items. The line boasts an extended bread and baked goods offering, consisting of 32 freshly baked products, made in-house.
"We are very happy that this special opening can take place in Mannheim. The positive feedback from our customers shows us that we have exactly met their taste with the new concept," commented Jens Daniel, managing director of regional company Ketsch. This is Ketsch's 34th iteration of the new design in its catchment area.
Other store highlights include digital screens showing current and upcoming offers, 772 parking spaces, and a photovoltaic solar power system, which provides the store with 25% of its power.
The Mannheim location replaces the previous store at Viernheimer Weg 56-60, which closed on Tuesday.
New Design
The new design"focuses on the changing requirements of customers," said Lars Linscheid, managing director of the Aldi Süd Ebersberg arm, which is in charge of the modernisation project.
"The increased number of customers speaks for itself."
He described wine shelving with 'pleasant lighting', and the generously sized fresh produce areas, as perks of the new store design.
The new concept is modern, featuring clear grey colouring, LED lighting, floor-to-ceiling windows, and bright tiles, as well as signposts to help customers navigate the aisles.
Since the beginning of the new roll-out, 72 new buildings have been built, 157 branches have been expanded, and 771 branches have been refurbished. On average, locations have to close for seven days to complete the update.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Karen Henderson. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
