Updated to clarify a quote.
Nancy Richer was the first in line at the grand opening of the Farragut Aldi last week. As an avid cook and recipe developer, she’s a long-time fan. She likes the wide selection of international foods and unusual items like plants and gardening tools, she said.
“Even though it’s small, I can find things I can’t find anywhere else.”
Once, she took advice from an Aldi employee that helped her win a Los Angeles Times recipe contest. Knowledgeable staff is another thing she appreciates about the grocery chain.
“I love all grocery stores, but this is my favorite,” she said.
Several Aldi fans lined up well before the 8:30 a.m. opening of the first business in Biddle Farms, Farragut’s new town center. The development will include businesses, a public green space, apartments and townhomes, but developer Budd Cullom is keeping a lid on future tenants, except to say that there will be a mixture of shops and restaurants, many of them locally owned.
According to the Aldi website, the Albrecht Family founded the world’s first discount grocery store in Germany in 1961. Sixteen years later, the first Aldi store opened in Iowa. Aldi headquarters are in Batavia, Illinois. and there are currently 2,000 stores across 36 states with over 25,000 employees.
Amy Peters, vice president of the Mt. Juliet Division of Aldi, said via email:
“Aldi has proudly served Tennessee residents for nearly 28 years and is excited to provide Farragut residents an improved shopping experience at our first Farragut Aldi store in the new town center.”
According to Peters, the Aldi mission is to save people money on the food and products they want most so they can focus on life outside the grocery store. Regular customers also appreciate the store’s unique offerings. (You may have heard of Aldi’s popular advent calendars.)
“In addition to our staple food items, shoppers will have fun discovering our popular Aldi Finds. Aldi Finds are limited-time, specialty items ranging from unique foods and home goods to unexpected finds like gardening essentials and pet accessories. New products are released each week and are typically tied to a theme or season. Aldi Finds are displayed within a dedicated aisle — often deemed the “Aisle of Fun” — and are intended to delight shoppers with new and innovative products.”
After the ribbon was cut, Nancy and the other waiting customers streamed in to investigate the store. One was Alderman Drew Burnette, who slipped in to pick up pizza and donuts. Mayor Ron Williams stuck around to enjoy the opening of the first store in the town center.
“For folks who haven’t shopped at Aldi, you need to come check it out,” he said.
Town of Farragut communications manager Wendy Smith is your reliable Farragut insider.