Aldi to debut first interior mall store

Los Angeles Westfield announced Thursday that it plans to add a limited-assortment Aldi grocery store to a Chicago mall. The new store will be the low-priced Aldi’s debut location inside a regional mall in the U.S.

The 20,000-sq.-ft. store, slated to open in May 2011 at Chicago Ridge mall, will be customized to accommodate an interior entrance, according to mall owner Westfield. The new store will open in a vacated Steve & Barry’s space.

A special loading zone is also being added to the mall parking lot for customers with groceries, Westfield said.

“Introducing the new grocery category to our shopping centers is first and foremost a valuable new option for our customers, and a very positive move for our grocery store partners,” said Chris Barnett, SVP at Westfield. “We plan to expand this concept throughout our U.S. portfolio and are currently talking to a number of grocers.”