Aldi opens its first Melbourne Corner Store concept today

Aldi has opened its first Corner Store concept, in Melbourne’s CBD, complete with a cafe serving barista coffee.

The company says the store is designed for inner-city customers stocking ready-to-eat meals, fresh produce, bakery items such as cinnamon buns, croissants and baguettes, and its discounted Special Buys products. The Corner Store concept was first tested on Sydney’s North Shore, a hybrid model of part convenience store, part supermarket.

Huw Longman, director of Aldi Corner Stores, said the new shop will meet customers’ needs in the surrounding high-density, urban area.

“Shopping habits continue to evolve, and we are seeing a large audience of people who prefer shopping more frequently with a hyper-focus on convenience.”

He said the store meets these needs, taking convenience and creativity and combining it with quality and savings.

To commemorate the store opening, a unique limited-time Lazzio coffee cart pop-up will offer customers coffee for 37 cents. The coffee beans are hand-roasted in Victoria by Black Bag Roasters. Proceeds from the coffee sales will be donated to Aldi’s national charity partner, Camp Quality.