Aldi’s 1st Tustin, California, store now open

Aldi on Thursday opened its first Tustin, California, location, transforming the site of a former bowling alley into a supermarket. The new store, located at 1091 Irvine Blvd. is part of the company’s nationwide growth plan, and edges the discount grocer to almost 100 stores in California, according to the grocer’s website.

“Our stores are designed to make grocery shopping smarter, faster and easier, and we’ve been voted the price leader for five years running,” said Tom Cindel, Moreno Valley Group director of operations and logistics for Aldi, in a statement. “We’re excited to open our first Aldi store in Tustin and introduce local customers to a new, more affordable way of shopping.”

As more shoppers are trading down due to high food prices, the no-frills German discount chain is cutting prices on its top items ahead of the holiday season.

“We know saving money has never been more important, and it’s especially important for our shoppers as they head into the busy holiday season. That’s why we are dropping prices on some of our most popular items in order to make the biggest impact on our customers’ grocery bills,” said Scott Patton, VP of national buying, in a statement. “As we kick off the busiest time of year for buying groceries, we want our shoppers to know we are focused on giving them the best possible prices so they can focus on celebrating the holidays with their friends and families.”

As part of Aldi’s Price Promise strategy, lower prices will be in categories such as fresh and frozen vegetables, baking ingredients, ground beef, bacon, and select cheeses through the end of the year.

The Tustin store will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Aldi is on track to become the third-largest grocery retailer by store count by the end of 2022, the Batavia, Illinois-based chain said.