BUCKTOWN — Aldi is finally returning to the Bucktown and Wicker Park border next to The 606's Bloomingdale Trail, it was announced on Friday.
Located at 1753 N. Milwaukee Ave., Aldi will celebrate its return on June 15 with a "Golden Ticket giveaway, eco-friendly bag distribution, Produce for a Year sweepstakes and product sampling," according to a news release.
The Bucktown/Wicker Park Aldi — at the southwest corner of the Milwaukee and Leavitt intersection — is part of the discount grocer's nationwide plan to remodel and expand more than 1,300 US stores by 2020.
In February, the chain announced an aggressive $1.6 billion investment in its stores across the country, with nearly $180 million dedicated to enhancing more than 130 stores in Chicago and the surrounding metropolitan area.
Aldi will open after an 8:25 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thurs. June 15, which the public is invited to attend. The store's first 100 customers will receive a "golden ticket," each containing store gift cards of various amounts.
Hours of operation will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
The store closed on March 21, 2016 to make way for a five-story, 95-unit apartment building.
Aldi and Yolk, a restaurant, will serve as the main retail anchors for the apartments, which will begin leasing soon.
There will be 60 parking spots for Aldi shoppers at ground level and 56 other spaces below ground for the building's tenants, developers have previously said.
Heather Moore, division vice president for Aldi, in a prepared statement, touted the store's “high-quality, affordable groceries." The store's "new look" will focus on fresh items, including more produce, dairy and bakery sections, Moore said.
There will be open ceilings, natural lighting and environmentally-friendly building materials, such as recycled materials, energy-saving refrigeration and LED lighting, she said.
In the last few years, Aldi has added new product lines including USDA Choice meats, the liveGfree gluten-free product line, the SimplyNature snacks, the Never Any! line of meats free from antibiotics, added hormones and animal by- products, as well as baby products, according to the news release.
A rendering of the new apartment building anchored by Aldi. [Centrum 606]
