In food desert, ALDI to close W. Dayton store

Grocery chain ALDI will close its store location at the Westown Shopping Center in West Dayton, a part of town known for its lack of grocery stores.

The Springfield division vice president of the grocery chain informed Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley that ALDI plans to close the store in one of the largest food deserts in Ohio. ALDI invested significant resources and made improvements to the shopping center in recent years.

A closure date has not been announced.

“The residents of West Dayton rely on ALDI to provide fresh produce and other grocery items,” said Mayor Nan Whaley. “ALDI’s failure to work with the city of Dayton to address any concerns is a major disappointment.”

Whaley said the store provides important resources for the community “considering the amount of food deserts we have, particularly in the city of Dayton,” and that area residents would have to take a bus an hour each way to go to another ALDI in the region. The grocery claimed it had foot traffic issues, but Whaley said she believes the site was well-used.

“For them to say they don’t want to serve the citizens of Dayton in this manner, I think is pretty offensive,” Whaley said. “We’ll continue to work with Westown to find another retailer that will provide produce and meat.”

Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein said improvements at the shopping center make it a prime location for a “competitor like Lidl.”