Home Food News Post-tornado, Beavercreek ALDI open again

Post-tornado, Beavercreek ALDI open again

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BEAVERCREEK — ALDI loyalists lined the shopping center sidewalk with their carts Aug. 15 for the re-opening of the Lakeview Drive store that was damaged during the Memorial Day tornadoes.

Customers at the front of the line had been waiting since 4 a.m., including James and Paula Brooks, for the 8:30 a.m. opening which included golden tickets in exchange for gift cards ranging $10 to $100, free eco-bags and a chance to win produce for a year.

“Welcome back!” customers yelled, clapping, as ALDI staff walked out of the store.

“We are so happy to be back,” Sarah Brown, ALDI Springfield division vice president, said. “We’re thrilled to be opening the store, really so quickly. Our operations team, our real estate team — the next day they were already hard at work. After 24 hours this store looked very different than it did the morning after Memorial Day.”

After the tornadoes, ALDI sent more than 700 food boxes to The Dayton Foodbank.

“They were here to donate all the product that was still very good to us to be able to give out to people that were struck by the tornadoes and also gave us disaster relief boxes so we could get those into the hands of people who needed them,” Lora Davenport, The Dayton Foodbank programs and advocacy manager, said.

The store also got an unanticipated remodel with a few changes — including the moving of produce to the front of the store.

“It was a beautiful store before and it’s still beautiful,” Brown said.

Brown, a local resident, said she’s been getting questions from community members about when the store would open.

“It was incredible that the Beavercreek customers continued to shop us at local nearby stores even when this store was down,” she said. “The Beavercreek community has been fantastic.”

Anna Bolton | Greene County News Shoppers line up for the Beavercreek ALDI re-opening Aug. 15. Some had been waiting since 4 a.m.
https://www.xeniagazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2019/08/web1_ALDILine.jpgAnna Bolton | Greene County News Shoppers line up for the Beavercreek ALDI re-opening Aug. 15. Some had been waiting since 4 a.m.

Produce is now located at the front of the store.
https://www.xeniagazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2019/08/web1_AldiProduce.jpgProduce is now located at the front of the store.

Local shoppers make their way through aisles with their gift cards and eco-bags.
https://www.xeniagazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2019/08/web1_Shopping2.jpgLocal shoppers make their way through aisles with their gift cards and eco-bags.

Local shoppers make their way through aisles with their gift cards and eco-bags.
https://www.xeniagazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2019/08/web1_Shopping1.jpgLocal shoppers make their way through aisles with their gift cards and eco-bags.

Customers enter the repaired and renovated ALDI.
https://www.xeniagazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2019/08/web1_AldiLine2.jpgCustomers enter the repaired and renovated ALDI.

File photo Damage assessment and cleanup begins at the Beavercreek ALDI, 2451 Lakeview Drive, May 28, the morning following the Memorial Day tornadoes.
https://www.xeniagazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2019/08/web1_ALDI-1.jpgFile photo Damage assessment and cleanup begins at the Beavercreek ALDI, 2451 Lakeview Drive, May 28, the morning following the Memorial Day tornadoes.

By Anna Bolton

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