Aldi builds a bridge to growth

Retail giant to open city’s fourth store in Torrington

SUPERMARKET giant Aldi will open its fourth Toowoomba store at the beleaguered Bridge St Plaza delivering a boost to the city’s western fringes.

The German-owned retail franchise will replace the independently owned IGA, the previous major tenant at the Torrington centre which closed suddenly more than 11 months ago.

Bridge St Plaza centre owner Warwick Edge confirmed Aldi would open its fourth Toowoomba store, and fifth in the region including Highfields, once construction was completed at the site.

Mr Edge said the existing site at the corner of Bridge St and Boundary Rd would be extended to accommodate the planned 350sq m site, with the capacity for a 98sq m speciality store to also open at the centre.

“We’re hoping to have the construction completed by Christmas time,” Mr Edge said.

“It has been in the plan for quite some time.

“We contacted Aldi last August when (IGA) closed and we had had indications that they could open there.”

The Supa IGA store closed without notice on August 5, with customers informed by a handwritten note attached to the shop’s doors and loading bay.

It later went into liquidation and other retailers at the centre were forced to either wind back trading hours or close.

Mr Edge said the former IGA store would be inspected next week to determine when construction could begin on the Aldi store.

The Torrington store will be the chain’s fourth market entry in Toowoomba behind outlets in Harlaxton, Kearneys Spring and Clifford Gardens.

Aldi’s plans to expand into Highfields are also progressing with a development application before the Toowoomba Regional Council.

The chain has also signed on to an $80 million development in the proposed Plainland Crossing in the Lockyer Valley.

Mr Edge said the supermarket would generate greater competition for retail giants Coles and Woolworths and cater to the area’s growth in line with major developments such as the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing.

“I think it will be a great benefit to the over-50s village over the road,” he said.

“There’s quite a few subdivisions out that way and, of course, all the development with the Range crossing there are a lot of people using that who will use our centre when heading back into Toowoomba.

“It has good potential for growth.”

Aldi was approached for comment yesterday.