TULSA, OK AND BRADENTON, FL - Aldi is increasing its reach with two expansion plans for the near future. Aldi is opening a discount grocery store in Tulsa, OK, and has paid $1.75 million for four acres in Bradenton to open a new Florida store.

The Tulsa location will open on June 10, during which customers can tour the store. The new locations will have high ceilings, natural lighting, and uses environmentally friendly building materials such as recycled materials and energy-saving refrigeration and light bulbs, reports news source Tulsa World.

"We look forward to introducing west Tulsa shoppers to Aldi, where they can find the majority of their average weekly shopping list from our exclusive brand products — including fresh meats, fruits, vegetables and bakery items—for up to 50 percent less," said Mark Bersted, Olathe Division Vice President for Aldi in a statement.

For the Bradenton store, it will be the discount grocer’s second store in Manatee county, the first of which opened in September 2010.

According to the Herald-Tribune, the Manatee County Commission approved a rezoning so Aldi could build a 17,000-square-foot store at the site in March. That followed "a protracted due diligence and closing period," according to Joe C. Hembree and Ken Hoskinson Jr., who represented the sellers. The land was purchased from Route 70 Holdings, a Sarasota company managed by Danielle Gladding and Joann E. Desrosiers, according to state records.

According to Tusla World, Aldi is saving costs on its new stores by using a smaller store footprint, open carton displays and encouraging customers to bring their own shopping bags, as well as a cart rental system whereby shoppers insert a quarter to release a cart and then receive the quarter back after returning the cart.

As we've previously reported, Aldi has been expanding rapidly as of late, with expansions in Virginia, Texas, and its recent 66 Bottom Dollar acquisitions.

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