Big Lots relocates; BVL has new ALDI

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Big Lots relocates; BVL has new ALDI

County News

Thursday, 18 November 2010 08:21

By Peter Covino
Entertainment Editor
The old Big Lots is not what it used to be, but that's a good thing for fans of the closeout retailer.
The company has shut down the store at Mill Creek Mall in preparation for the grand opening Friday of a new, bigger Big Lots next to the Big K store in Kissimmee.
Also opening in the Kissimmee area this week is an ALDI grocery store.
Even with an “opening soon” sign at the Big Lots, a steady stream of anxious shoppers kept approaching the front doors hoping the store was already open.
“It has been like this every day,” Sue Baker, store manager, said.
The new Big Lots is at a former Publix location that closed several years ago, when the grocery chain moved that store to a bigger location.
The new Big Lots store will have pretty much everything shoppers could find at the old Kissimmee location, but even more so, Michael Ho, district manager for Big Lots, said. The new store has a furniture department, plus the larger location means there is room for more items overall.
The new location is approximately 29,000 square feet, about 7,000 square feet larger than the old store.
The larger parking lot, better accessibility and visibility to U.S. Highway 192 are all pluses at the new store as well, he said.
The Big Lots is one of approximately 80 new stores the retailer is planning to open in 2010.
Big Lots is known as a discount retailer, buying out stock of other retailers. Brand names are discounted 20 to 50 percent on everything from electronics, home décor and housewares, toys, seasonal products and more, Baker said.
“We encourage Kissimmee residents to think Big Lots when it comes to deciding where to spend their hard-earned money and invite everyone to come out and experience this new location,” Rob Claxton, senior vice president of marketing for Big Lots, said. “Our easy-to-shop stores and extreme brand name deals have been big hits with our customers in this area for years and we hope they will love this new store as much as the old.”
Big Lots also operates a store in St. Cloud.
The company is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, and operates more than 1,350 stores in 47 states.
New ALDI store
in Buenaventura Lakes
ALDI now has two locations in Osceola County with the opening of the new grocery store in Buenaventura Lakes.
The ALDI store is one of two stores the grocer is opening in the area this week. A second store is opening in Clermont off of U.S. Highway 27.
The new Kissimmee store is at 1040 Buenaventura Blvd. Both new stores officially opened today.
ALDI markets its stores as a “smarter alternative” in the discount grocery store market, David Behm, vice president for the Haines City division of the company, said.
Shoppers in St. Cloud already know about some of the unique features of the grocery chain, which include some 1,400 items sold under the ALDI brand name. The grocery chain has a store on 13th Street in the city.
“ALDI is committed to providing our customers with the best high-quality products at unbeatable prices,” Behm said. “As shown by our growth here in Florida, once customers try ALDI, they keep coming back.”
The grocery chain brand name items are up to 50 percent less than traditional supermarkets, he said.
Part of the ALDI efficiency program includes eliminating overhead costs by offering a shopping cart deposit system where shoppers insert a quarter to release a cart and get the quarter back upon the cart’s return. Other cost-saving practices include a smaller store footprint, open-carton displays and encouraging customers to bring their own shopping bags.
ALDI also saves consumers money by keeping stores open during prime shopping times – typically from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
ALDI opened 80 new stores across the United States in 2009 and plans to open 100 stores in 2010. There are now more than 1,100 ALDI stores nationwide in 31 states, primarily from Kansas to the East Coast.