Popular discount grocer Aldi is planning on opening in Waukee, pending city council approval.

Aldi is requesting approval to construct a 19,200 square-foot grocery store at 1030 E. Hickman Road, near Southeast Alice's Road. The growing area is already home to a Hy-Vee, Starbucks, Caribou Coffee and Panchero's.

Waukee City Council is expected to vote on approving the site plan for Aldi on Monday. There are no set dates for construction or opening.

Waukee's newest store is a part of a $3.4 billion investment by Aldi Inc. to expand to 2,500 stores nationwide by the end of 2022.There already are six stores in the metro, including a recently opened one in Ankeny, and 30 in Iowa. In addition, Aldi is spending $1.6 billion to renovate 1,300 existing stores nationwide.

The upstart German discount grocery chain is known for its low prices, 25-cent rental shopping carts and customers bagging their own groceries.

About 90 percent of the items in its aisles are house brands with names like Southern Grove, for nuts and dried fruit, or Savoritz, for crackers. Stores also have an area where non-food merchandise, ranging from summer flip-flops to luggage to wet-dry vacuum cleaners, is sold for a limited time, according to USA Today.

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