This comes three weeks after a fire destroyed a different grocery store on the other side of town on East Third Street.
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“I don’t think the city should let that happen, but seems like that’s what’s going to happen,” ALDI shopper Henry Williams said on Friday at the affected store.
Before ALDI’s announcement, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley spoke to company officials over the phone at City Hall.
“The residents of West Dayton rely on ALDI to provide fresh produce and other grocery items,” said Whaley. “ALDI’s failure to work with the city of Dayton to address any concerns is a major disappointment.”
Shelley Dickstein, Dayton’s city manager, said the improvements made to the Westown Shopping Center make it a prime location for a “competitor like Lidl.”
ALDI released the following statement:
“ALDI has decided to close its store at 4303 W. 3rd St. in Dayton, Ohio. We take the closing of any ALDI store very seriously. Although we recognize that the closing will affect some of our loyal customers, we’re pleased to continue offering high-quality, affordable groceries at our ALDI stores nearby in West Carrollton, Englewood and Kettering.
“We’re happy to share that all of our employees are able to transfer to a nearby ALDI store and no jobs will be lost.”
“ALDI has been a member of the Dayton community for more than 30 years, and across the state of Ohio, we’re proud to serve customers at more than 120 ALDI stores. We’re committed to continued growth in the coming years. Investing in employees in the Dayton area, the state of Ohio and across the country will remain a top priority.
“We thank our customers for nearly 20 years of loyalty at the West Dayton location and hope they’ll continue shopping at one of our many ALDI locations in the area.”
The closure date has not been announced. But before the full-service grocer shuts down for good, the city is urging concerned residents to contact ALDI.
“I think the community needs to stand up and say, ‘listen, we want to have a good grocery store here. You need to stay here,’” Whaley said.
West Dayton has been unable to attract a large grocer since the Kroger on Gettysburg Avenue closed in 2008.
This news organization has reached out to ALDI for more information.
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