SANDHURST’S new Aldi is just nine days away from its grand opening.
The supermarket will open on Thursday, October 22, after Aldi chiefs months of work to transform Yorktown Road’s former Waitrose store.
It will be Aldi’s 900th store nationwide.
READ MORE: Designs revealed for Aldi store taking over former Waitrose
Having been present in the town since 2008, Waitrose closed its doors for the final time in autumn 2019.
Now a new era is set to begin with the opening of Aldi, which was given the go-ahead to set up at the site following permission from the council in July.
Since then, a number of planning applications have been submitted to make changes to the layout of the interior and exterior of the former Waitrose building.
The new store will create 18 new local jobs and will be run store manager Rob Tandy.
He said: “We’re really looking forward to opening the first Aldi store here in Sandhurst.
“It’s set to be a great day and it’ll be lovely to welcome our new customers into the store and provide them with access to affordable, high-quality food.”
Aldi will be open from 8am to 10pm from Monday to Saturday, and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays.
READ MORE: Aldi opens job opportunities up across Berkshire
The new Aldi store is calling on local charities and food banks in Sandhurst to register with Neighbourly, a community engagement platform that links businesses to charitable organisations in the local community.
Local charities that register will be able to collect surplus food and perishable products, such as fruit, vegetables and baked goods, up to five days a week. Any charities in the area that would like to partner up with the new Aldi store should email aldi@neighbourly.com.
As well as a makeover, plans have also included splitting the site in two to include a new ‘state-of-the-art’ gym on Yorktown Road.
Plans to add Energie Fitness to the site are moving along, with social media posts from the leisure provider indicating the new gym is “coming soon”.
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According to designs posted online, Energie Fitness will feature four main areas: a space for cardio, a cycle studio, ‘The Yard’ high-intensity area and a free weights section.
The gym is already advertising for ‘pre-sale’ memberships for residents keen to get in shape.
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