Aldi store coming to area

Residents along the Route 50 corridor in Carnegie, Heidelberg and Scott, saddened by the recent closing of Bottom Dollar Food on Washington Avenue, are looking forward to the grocery store reopening as an Aldi.

Aldi Inc. announced March 27 that it was opening nine former Bottom Dollar stores, including the one at 1160 Washington Ave.

The chain also plans to put

Aldi stores in former Bottom Dollar sites in Aliquippa, Butler Township’s Bon Aire Plaza, Homestead, McKeesport, Baldwin, Ross and Penn Hills’ Saltsburg Road location.

It won’t be converting former Bottom Dollar stores in Ambridge, Bridgeville, Butler Township’s Butler Crossing site, Castle Shannon, McKees Rocks, New Castle and Penn Hills’ Frankstown Road location.

The deal was announced in November to sell Pittsburgh area Bottom Dollar stores to Aldi for $15 million for the real estate assets. All Bottom Dollar stores were closed by the end of last month.

Brent Laubaugh, vice president of the Saxonburg division of Aldi, said the new stores could start opening toward the end of the year. Would-be shoppers are ready and waiting.

Many live within walking distance of the Scott store, which carries a Carnegie ZIP code but is in Scott.

“I think everybody around here is waiting for it to happen,” said a longtime resident of Scott’s Glendale neighborhood, which abuts the store location.

That's significant because a good number of the nearby residents lack their own transportation.

“It’ll be located in Scott, but it’ll serve a large portion of the Carnegie residents,” added Carnegie Mayor Jack Kobistek, who called the incoming grocery “a good, low-cost option” for residents.

Bottom Dollar opened its first Pittsburgh area stores in January 2012.

Aldi bought 66 stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey.

The German company hopes to add another 10-15 stores in Western Pennsylvania within the next three years.

Mr. Kobistek said his borough is stepping in to make sure the incoming store will become an attraction.

“I have heard numerous concerns from residents about the lack of a grocery store since the Bottom Dollar closed a few months ago,” said Mr. Kobistek.

He and Carnegie Police Chief Jeff Kennedy are pushing to ensure Aldi installs a cart management system to keep grocery carts off of streets, particularly heavily traveled Washington Avenue.