Cliffo ALDI set to close

ALDI Australia will close its Clifford Gardens supermarket in the new year.

Staff will be encouraged to move to the ALDI supermarket at Bridge Street Plaza, which is currently under construction.

“Although ALDI Clifford Gardens will close, there will be no job losses,” an ALDI Australia spokeswoman said.

“The store staff will either relocate to ALDI Torrington or have the opportunity to transfer to another store in the area.”

The news comes as work on the Torrington store nears completion.

“We have only recently taken possession of the site and works have commenced on the store fitout,” the spokeswomen said.

“We are pleased to announce that ALDI Torrington on Bridge St is on track to open in early 2020.

“We will keep the community updated as construction progresses.”

The Torrington store will be larger than the Clifford Gardens store and have better access for traffic and shoppers.

“New store features will include redesigned shelving, expanded wooden produce bays, extended energy efficient chillers and LED lighting, improved point-of-sale displays and store signage,” the spokeswoman said.

ALDI Australia owns the Clifford Gardens store which it is expected to sell after the closure.

The building was last sold in 2004 for $1.95 million.

It is good news for retailers at Bridge Street Plaza who watched foot traffic dry up when IGA pulled its store out in August 2016.

Since then, some retailers in the centre have been forced to either wind back trading hours or close.

ALDI Australia had hoped to open the store by late 2019 but there were construction delays. It is banking on an increase in population along the Toowoomba Bypass corridor.

“We work closely with local planning bodies such as councils, community groups and other businesses to ensure we positively impact the local area. We believe this store will service the western catchment of Toowoomba,” the spokeswoman said.

When complete, the Bridge Street Plaza store will support 20 full-time and part-time staff.

ALTHOUGH ALDI CLIFFORD GARDENS WILL CLOSE, THERE WILL BE NO JOB LOSSES

ALDI AUSTRALIA