Grocery chain to remodel Hamilton, Middletown stores

No-frills grocer ALDI is working to remodel its area locations with changes it says will give shoppers a smarter, faster and easier shopping experience.

Fresh off the expansion, remodeling and reopening of its West Chester Twp. location, ALDI is now doing the same to its Hamilton location, which opened at 1431 Main St. in 1995 and was last remodeled in early 2014. That location closed for the changes on Sunday.

ALDI’s Middletown location, which opened at 3634 S. Dixie Highway in 2009, is set to shut down for less than two weeks in September for the changes.

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The remodeling efforts are a continuation of the $14 million investment ALDI is making to remodel 11 stores in Cincinnati and the surrounding area by 2019, and its $1.6 billion plan to remodel more than 1,300 U.S. stores by 2020.

The store is larger, but still just five aisles to allow for expedited shopping, officials said.

The revitalized stores feature an added selection of and greater emphasis on fresh products including produce, meat, dairy and bakery items, and a greater selection of healthy, organic options.

They also boast the grocer’s new environmentally-friendly design with energy-efficient refrigeration, LED lighting, open ceilings, more natural lighting and recycled materials.

“I think it looks really nice,” said Kelley Finke, of West Chester Twp., who said she’s been shopping at ALDI for 22 years. “It’s decorated nicely, it’s easy to see.”

She said the store’s prices are what keep her coming back. “I have … five kids and you can save anywhere from 50 cents to $1.50 on every product,” Finke said.

Besides the Hamilton, West Chester and Middletown locations, ALDI also has locations in Deerfield Twp. and Lebanon.

The company previously announced plans to invest $3 billion for the addition of 650 new Aldi locations in the U.S. during the next five years, bringing its total number of stores to 2,000 by the end of 2019.

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