Statesboro is one step closer to getting a new grocery store.

ALDI has submitted site plans and are in the early phases of working with the city of Statesboro to build a brand new store. The current plan filed with the city is to construct a 19,000-square-foot store in the Statesboro Crossing shopping center off the Brannen Connecter. Statesboro Crossing includes T.J. Maxx, Hobby Lobby and several other stores and restaurants. The proposed location for ALDI will be in the undeveloped outparcel to the left of Steak and Shake, as you face the restaurant.

A leader in the grocery retailing industry since 1976, ALDI operates more than 1,800 U.S. stores in 35 states. The closest stores to Statesboro are four in the Augusta area. They also have stores in the planning stages for Bluffton, Pooler and Savannah.

When it opens, ALDI will be the first new grocery store in Statesboro since the Walmart Neighborhood Market opened in 2014. Also, a 41,000-square-foot, regional chain grocery store will be part of the Tormenta Stadium proposed development south of Veterans Memorial Parkway and east of Old Register Road at their intersection. A tax allocation district, or TAD, was approved for the development area, provided the grocery store project is announced prior to Dec. 31.

Shoppers have made ALDI one of the fastest-growing retailers in the U.S. The chain’s sales have doubled in the past five years, and they plan to double them again in the next five years. ALDI opened 150 new stores in 2017 and they expect to open another 150 stores across the country when 2018 ends. In 2017, they remodeled more than 500 stores and are on track to remodel nearly 400 stores in 2018.

More than 40 million customers each month use the simple, streamlined approach ALDI brings to retailing. ALDI sells frequently purchased grocery and household items, primarily under its exclusive brands, which meet or exceed national name brands on taste and quality. ALDI has been one of America’s favorite grocery retailers, and for the eighth consecutive year, the “Value Leader” for grocery shoppers according to a 2018 survey of U.S. consumers by Market Force Information. ALDI also backs up its products with a “Twice as Nice Guarantee”: replacing the product and offering a full refund.

Supermarket News, a leading industry trade publication, named ALDI its 2018 Retailer of the Year, recognizing its contributions to the growth of store brand products. The award, which ALDI also received in 2015, emphasizes the grocery retailer’s commitment to quality, value and exceeding shoppers’ expectations.

“Today, we operate nearly 1,800 stores in 35 states,” said ALDI Jefferson Division Vice President Shaun O’Keefe. “We plan to increase our store count to 2,500 by the end of 2022. By then, we will help as many as 100 million people save money on groceries every month. We’re investing $1.9 billion to remodel and expand more than 1,300 U.S. ALDI stores by the end of 2020. This is a significant investment in our stores, but it is really an investment in our shoppers. We’re evolving to meet their changing tastes and needs and, in return, they have made us one of the fastest-growing retailers in the U.S.”

Through ALDI’s streamlined approach to staffing, cost-saving efficiencies are passed onto customers. With this approach, the Statesboro store will employ approximately 15 to 20 people.

The company has not released a construction schedule or projected opening date. We will update you as their schedule progresses. For more information about ALDI, visit aldi.us.