MEL TOADVINE ALDI held its grand opening last week at the new Lehigh Acres location — the first store in Lee County — at 2803 Lee Blvd.

An ALDI opened last week in Lehigh Acres and it was filled with shoppers on Thursday as they celebrated the grand opening.

The grocery store had opened the day before with a soft opening, at 2805 Lee Blvd.

On Thursday, the first 100 customers received a golden ticket, which contained ALDI gift cards of various amounts, according to store officials.

Chris Hewitt, ALDI’s Royal Palm Beach division vice president, said in a prepared statement that officials were thrilled to join the Lehigh community and offer customers “the benefits of the ALDI shopping experience.”

“Our high-quality products and everyday low prices make for a combination our competitors just can’t match,” Hewitt said.

ALDI logo

“Our stores are simple to navigate, so it’s easy for shoppers to get in, get what they need and continue on with their day knowing they left with a shopping cart full of groceries that fit their lifestyle and save them money,” he added.

There were at least 12 employees working in the store last week. According to the ALDI website, the stores are usually staffed with fewer people.

The local manager said she could not give out any information about the store, that it had to come from those above her.

Hewitt said ALDI is proud to offer a wide range of premium groceries at prices up to 50 percent less than the competitors

Beyond staples, such as bread, dairy and a variety of fresh produce, the store offers a growing organic selection, USDA Choice meats, liveGfree gluten-free product line and better-for-you-options.

MEL TOADVINE Workers prepare the parking lot of the new ALDI store during construction.

There is also the SimplyNature line of products free from more than 125 artificial ingredients and preservatives and the Never Any! line of meats free from antibiotics, added hormones and animal by-products.

“To better serve customers and their growing families, ALDI now carries a full line of baby products, Little Journey, which offers customers award-winning diapers, wipes, training pants, formula, organic food and snacks,” Hewitt said.

He said ALDI stands behind high quality with a double guarantee. If a customer does not like an ALDI exclusive brand food, ALDI will give them their money back and replace the product.

Hewitt said ALDI saves customers money by cutting overhead costs through such practices as a cart rental system. Shoppers insert a quarter to release a cart from the corral and receive the quarter back upon the cart’s return

And shoppers are encouraged to bring their own shopping bags.

The Lehigh location – the first in Lee County – will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

ALDI stores accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

Officials said there will be nearly 2,000 stores, serving 45 million customers each month from coast to coast, by the end of 2018.