VALLEY — The Coatesville region (for those living on the west side of the city in particular) again has a local food store, with Thursday’s opening of Aldi on Lincoln Highway.
The new Aldi — which is an international discount chain — replaces the Bottom Dollar location that had been the anchor of the shopping center at Airport Road and Lincoln Highway. When Bottom Dollar closed, the nearest full food market was either the Giant in Thorndale or the Wal-Mart in Sadsbury.
Founded in Germany in the 1940s, the U.S. branch of the company now has more than 1,400 stores in 32 states.
The chain is an interesting mix of no-frills and high-end — the store carries limited brands, mostly store brands and much less variety. Like Bottom Dollar, shoppers must bring their own bags or pay for plastic bags. Shopping cart require a .25 deposit.
However, the chain also carries a number of gourmet and organic food products — but at lower prices than competing chains. Aldi also guarantees its store brands as being as good or better than the national name brands on taste and quality. The chain says it is so confident in the quality of its products, the company offers a Double Guarantee: If for any reason a customer is not 100 percent satisfied with any ALDI food product, ALDI will gladly replace the product and refund the purchase price.
ALDI was named the 2014 Retailer of the Year by Store Brands Magazine for its strong commitment to value and innovation-focused private brand product development. For more information about ALDI, visit www.aldi.us.