Well it seems there are more new Aldi stores on the horizon.

This time the new Aldi stores are a little bit different. Apparently Aldi Australia aren’t happy to sit on their hands and enjoy the millions of us that stream through their doors every day to do their big grocery shops.

No, now they want a piece of the convenience market. So if you are a small sandwich, coffee or corner store we’re saying GOOD LUCK!

Aldi today unveiled its first ever ‘Corner Store’.

These new format new Aldi stores come complete with freshly pressed orange juice, an in-house café serving barista-made coffee, an artisan bakery and self-serve checkouts.

The new Aldi stores have begun with the new, first of its kind, corner store that will offer shoppers a ‘convenience-driven’ experience.  We’re guessing that’s why North Sydney is the site for the first new ALDI Stores of this type.

The new Aldi stores will be small format convenient stores under a new concept name. They’ll be about half the size of a standard Aldi store and features a new store layout to maximise efficiency, a modern interior design complemented by simple navigation, and extended trading hours.

In the new Aldi stores, the Aldi Corner Stores, customers will be greeted with a vibrant mural upon entry, fresh fruits and vegetables, a cheese stall and a huge range of convenient grab-and-go meals tailored to the busy city office workers and time-poor commuters.

The Aldi Corner Store has a coffee kiosk with locally roasted, barista-made coffee, an artisan bakery section complete with beautiful baked goods from Sonoma, a collection of the retailer’s famous Special Buys range and even a ‘pup parking’ for pet owners to easily tether their dog on a leash while they do their grocery shop.  

We’re guessing the new Aldi stores are designed to compete with the Woolies Metro and Coles Express stores.

You know, the smaller format supermarets that we all see in the city and other densely populated business and residential districts. Aldi chief executive Tom Daunt said the new store will offer city shoppers a slightly different range of grocery items – including smaller pack sizes, convenience food ranges and fresh products.

‘There will be some range changes, so some of the products that don’t typically really appeal to inner-city urban dwellers, like 10kg dog food, we have removed and that has given us space back and allowed us to squeeze a traditional Aldi store into a smaller format,’ Mr Daunt told The Australian.

‘The corner store is about ­developing a format to allow us to bring the Aldi offer to those ­customers in high-density urban locations.’

He said the German supermarket is looking at trialling as many as four Corner Stores over the next year.

So what do you think? Should these new Aldi stores be a thing?  Do you think they’ll impact the small businesses around them?

Personally I don’t think I’ll be dropping in for a coffee but if their ready-to-eat lunch and dinner options are good and they’re reasonably priced, the local restaurants and cafes nearby may struggle.  We hope not!

Share your thoughts on the impact of supermarket giants on smaller businesses in the comments below …

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