Several factors making ALDI close Bethel Grove store on Lamar Avenue, bordering Orange Mound

Katherine Burgess, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·2 min read

ALDI is closing its Bethel Grove store that borders Orange Mound leaving the closest full-sized grocery store more than a mile-and-a-half away.

An ALDI company spokesperson said the company, which is based in Illinois, did "not take the closing of this location lightly."

The store’s final day of operation was Monday.

"Our decision was based on several factors, including repeated burglaries, property damage and poor sales performance," an ALDI spokesperson said in a written statement. "Out of concern for our employees and customers, keeping this store open was no longer a sustainable option. Our employees will continue to work at one of our other ALDI locations in the immediate area."

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ALDI has six other Memphis-area stores, located at:

  • 2765 S Perkins, Memphis

  • 4056 Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis

  • 7520 Winchester Rd, Memphis

  • 4720 Summer Ave, Memphis

  • 7051 Sleepy Hollow Dr, Southaven

  • 3176 Austin Peay Hwy, Memphis

The ALDI located at 2877 Lamar Avenue was the closest source of fresh produce for several large apartment complexes nearby in Orange Mound. Its closure leaves the closest full-sized grocery store the Super-Lo at 2269 Lamar Ave.

Britney Thornton, an Orange Mound organizer and future Shelby County Commissioner who will represent the area, said she's concerned about what the loss of the store will mean for residents of the area, and whether there will be an empty building left behind.

Aldi on Church Street in Murfreesboro, on Monday, April 4, 2022, in Murfreesboro.
Aldi on Church Street in Murfreesboro, on Monday, April 4, 2022, in Murfreesboro.

“ALDI gave you low cost but more enhanced options," Thornton said. "That’s really what saddens me is really the lack of variety that shoppers will now have as well as the inconvenience. People coming from that community and that side of town, they will have less options to be able to access. The loss of any grocer is a huge hit to any community.”

Katherine Burgess covers county government and religion. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com, 901-529-2799 or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: ALDI to close Bethel Grove store on Lamar Avenue