New Aldi in Grantham officially opened by Olympic gymnast Sam Oldham
A brand new Aldi store in Grantham opened its doors to customers this morning at 8am, with Team GB Gymnastics hero Sam Oldham cutting the red ribbon alongside pupils from Huntingtower Community Primary Academy.
The Trent Road store has replaced the Aldi store on South Parade and will be run by store manager Simon Cook, along with a team of 35 colleagues from the local community.
Loyal Aldi customers were queuing outside the store before the doors were opened for the first time this morning.
Lisa Pepperdine, who lives off Springfield Road, said: "I couldn't wait for it to open. I think it looks lovely on the outside and I can't wait to get in. It's local to me now and I think this is good for the community and it's good for Grantham. It's great for those who live locally and especially those who have disabilities. I am really pleased. The old Aldi was just too small for us."
Huntingtower school headteacher Emma Harkins was joined by children from the school to help with the opening of the store. The will be visited by Sam Oldham who will talk to the children. Emma said: "I think it is a lovely thing in the community to have a new opportunity to have community links. We already work with other supermarkets and local stores so it's really lovely to be part of their opening on this side of town."
Customer Jane Simmons said she visited Aldi every Thursday. She said: "I am looking forward to it. I like the deals. We live on Earlesfield Lane so it's a lot closer. I hope we are going to get some bargains today. It looks nice and the car park is much bigger."
In celebration, Team GB bronze medallist Sam gave away complimentary bags of fresh fruit and vegetables from Aldi’s Super 6 range to the first 30 customers in the queue, before going on to deliver an inspirational assembly for pupils at Huntingtower Community Primary Academy as part of the supermarket’s initiative, Get Set to Eat Fresh – which has already inspired two million school children aged five to 14 years to learn more about the benefits of cooking fresh, healthy food with their families.
As Aldi has been fuelling Team GB with fresh, healthy food since 2015, the bronze medallist from London 2012 focused on the benefits of eating healthy food and the importance of exercise and believing in yourself. He also talked to pupils about his experience of competing as an Olympian in 2012 and shared his challenging training regime.
In addition, Aldi Grantham offered pupils at the local primary school the opportunity to win a £20 gift voucher to spend at the new store. Children at Huntingtower Community Primary Academy were tasked with creating a poster to show what healthy eating means to them.
Store manager Simon Cook said: “It’s been a wonderful morning here at the opening of Aldi Grantham. It was lovely to welcome our new customers into store, and I look forward to meeting more of the community in the coming weeks. I’m also thrilled that we’ve been able to support Huntingtower Community Primary Academy through our partnership with Team GB.”
Team GB star Sam said: “I’ve had a fantastic time opening the new Aldi this morning. It was an honour to officially open the store and welcome customers inside for the first time.
“It was great to speak with the children at Huntingtower Community Primary Academy about the importance of eating healthily and how it can be fun to plan and prepare meals as a family. Hopefully I’ve also managed to inspire the pupils to keep active and try different sports."
The new Aldi store offers large chillers and freezers dedicated to fresh, British meat products, a ‘Food to Go’ section at the front of the store, and an exclusive section of health and beauty products.
Grantham customers can also take a walk down the ‘Aisle of Aldi’, where they will find Specialbuys which are available every Thursday and Sunday. During opening week, the store will be offering a range of cast iron cookware, including griddle trays and skillets for £14.99, and casserole dishes from £19.99.
Additionally, the new Aldi store is calling on local charities and food banks in Grantham to register with Neighbourly, a community engagement platform that links businesses to charitable organisations in the local community.
Local charities that register will be able to collect surplus food and perishable products, such as fruit, vegetables and baked goods, up to seven days a week. Any charities in the area that would like to partner up with the new Aldi store should email aldi@neighbourly.com.
The store is open Monday to Saturday, 8am to 10pm, and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.
