Low-Priced Grocer Coming to Alexandria

Shoppers in Alexandria’s West End can rejoice — they finally have a new grocery store coming that will replace the Magruder’s that closed in January 2013.

An ALDI grocery store will open at 4604 Kenmore Ave. on Nov. 6, 2015, an ALDI spokesman confirmed Wednesday from the company’s Batavia, Ill., headquarters. Most ALDI stores open with a grand opening, giveaways and deals.

The chain store is known for offering discounts. Most (90 percent) of the brands in the store are ALDI brands. Another way it keeps costs down is by not accepting credit cards; the spokesman explained that by not accepting them, the store does not pass along the fees to customers.

Another no-frills experience that keeps costs down: You’ll bag your own groceries and pay a quarter to “rent” a shopping cart (you’ll get your quarter back when you return the cart) — more savings for customers since the store doesn’t have to pay anyone to go hunt down shopping carts in the parking lot. You’ll also see cost savings by bringing your own shopping bag (if you don’t bring your own, they’ll charge you for their long-lasting bags).

ALDI has its roots in Germany (ALDI is short for Albrecht Discount). In Germany, almost 90 percent of Germans shop there, according to an article in Slate.

The store has about a dozen locations in Northern Virginia. The Chantilly store that opened two years ago was no frills: No music, no bank and no pharmacy.

“We keep a close eye on our competition. If you want to get a basket of goods for $50 at a traditional grocery store, that same basket of goods will be 30-50 percent higher than at ALDI,” Jeff Baehr, Frederick Division vice president for ALDI, said at that store’s ribbon cutting.

It’s not certain what the new stores hours will be in Alexandria, but the Chantilly store hours were 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. There may or may not be wine and beer sold at the Alexandria store — the company decides to offer that option depending on the difficulty of securing permits.

Magruder’s caught many in the area by surprise when it abruptly closed nearly two years ago. (Before it was a Magruder’s, the location was home to a Safeway store.)

When Magruder’s closed, Patch readers chimed in when asked what grocery store they would like to see in the space. Among the suggestions were Trader Joe’s, MOM’s Organic Market and...ALDI.

ALDI and Trader Joe’s are part of the same company, owned by Germany’s Albrecht family.

There has been a flurry of grocery store activity in the area lately, with the opening of Fresh Market at Bradlee Shopping Center last winter, the newly rebuilt Safeway store recently opening and word that a Harris Teeter will open as part of a new development at Beauregard and King streets, according to Washington Business Journal.