A little bit of Aldi History
Aldi is fairly new to the cadre of supermarkets available in South Florida, but the company Aldi is far from new. The company’s history goes back to 1913. That year in Essen, Germany the Albrecht family’s matriarch, Anna Albrecht, founded a small shop out of which she sold groceries. Competition was fierce in the grocery business so the family got an edge over the competition by offering discounts. They also began to sell something that was not so common in Germany or the world for that matter, non-perishable goods. The business model was so successful that by 1955 the Albrecht family name donned no less than 100 storefronts. Soon after they changed the store name by abbreviating Albrecht Diskont (discount in German) to Aldi.
In 1960, Anna’s sons, Theo and Karl, had a falling out over whether or not they should start selling cigarettes. The issue was so controversial the brothers split the stores. Theo took all the stores in North Germany, Aldi Nord. Karl kept all the stores in south Germany, Aldi Sud. Despite the separation the business continued to prosper.
Aldi Sud opened the first Aldi in the United States in Iowa in 1976 and now has 2000 stores in 26 states. Aldi Nord also has a chunk of the American market but by another brand known as Trader Joe’s which they purchased in 1979.
Aldi Comes to Oakland Park
When Lucky’s closed in late 2019 of and went up for sale Aldi’s bought the location. From that point it was pretty clear that the space once occupied by Lucky’s would now be an Aldi’s. Since that time Oakland Parkers have eagerly been awaiting the opening of this Aldi as an alternative to the 18th Ave location off of Commercial Boulevard.
A Great Addition to Oakland Park
As I walked through the new Aldi’s it had a very familiar feel to the 18th Ave location. I did a quick video walk-through, so if you have not gone yet, click play below to get a peek at what the Oakland Park Aldi is like.
It was great to finally see the Oakland Park location open, and it is no doubt a great addition to the city on the move. Personally, I can’t wait to shop here!
Once you have a chance to pop in, don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments section below. Happy Shopping!
