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Discount Grocery Entering Bay Area

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By JEROME R. STOCKFISCH, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 21, 2007

TAMPA - The discount supermarket chain Aldi is picking its spots in the Tampa Bay area, with six sites selected and more on tap.

The German company announced last summer that it was making the move into Florida, beginning in the central part of the state. Aldi is known for its relatively small stores - about 16,000 square feet versus up to 50,000 square feet for big versions of Publix or Winn-Dixie stores - and deep discounts on prices. It focuses on private label goods. The chain has 850 stores in 26 states, and more than 5,000 worldwide.

On Thursday, Aldi Vice President David Behm confirmed these sites for Tampa Bay area stores slated to open in the fall of 2008:

•The Buccaneer Square center at Hillsborough Avenue and Sheldon Road in Town 'N Country

•610 Brandon Blvd. in Brandon

•State Road 39 near Johnson Road in Plant City

•4745 U.S. 98 in Lakeland

•U.S. 19 north of Sunset Point Road in Clearwater

•Missouri Avenue and Rosery Road in Largo.

The company also has sites in The Villages, Ocala, Orlando, Palm Bay, Titusville and Daytona Beach and is pursuing additional locations, including in the Tampa Bay area, Behm said.

"For years, we've had a lot of requests from customers of ours in the Midwest and on the East Coast to open stores," Behm said. "They really miss the values when they're here in wintertime or retired down here. We just feel we're responding to customers' wishes."
Aldi recently received approval for a headquarters and distribution center in Haines City. Staff members have been working out of a temporary site in Orlando.

Reporter Jerome R. Stockfisch can be reached at (813) 259-8402 or jstockfisch@tampatrib.com.

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