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KINGSTON — The chain-link fence around most of the property and the exposed insulation on exterior walls are pretty good clues that a popular grocery store is under renovation.
The Aldi market on Pierce Street will be adding 3,000 square feet of floor space over the next few weeks as part of the company’s $1.6 billion plan to remodel and expand more than 1,300 U.S. stores by 2020, said Bob Grammer, vice president for the company’s Center Valley division.
Aldi announced in February the remodeling and expansion plans at existing stores and was also expecting to open 650 new stores across the country.
Grammer said the Kingston store, which currently stands at 9,000 square feet and has four shopping aisles, will go to 12,000 square feet and five aisles.
The downside?
It will be be closed for several weeks — starting this Sunday — so workers can add the extra space. An exact reopening date was not made available, but Grammer expects the store to be open again sometime in July.
The expansion will include open ceilings, natural lighting, environmentally friendly building materials, energy-saving refrigeration and LED lighting, according to an email from Grammer.
“The updated Kingston store look will deliver on our customers’ desire for a modern and convenient shopping experience with a focus on fresh items, including more robust produce, dairy and bakery sections,” he said.
To keep costs down, CNBC.com reports Aldi is transitioning to more private-label goods, which are a retailer’s in-house brands. Aldi-brand items offer the lowest prices in private-label consumer products in the states in which it operates, but Wal-Mart’s in-house brands come in at a close second, the report stated.
Aldi operates more than 1,600 stores in 35 states.
Grammer encouraged shoppers to visit the Pittston outlet at 5000 N. Township Blvd. “to shop for their weekly Aldi must-haves” while the Kingston store is closed.