Aldi to open new store in Maryland on Thursday

Aldi will open a new store in Maryland on Thursday as it expands its presence in the state with a grand opening in the community of La Plata.

The grocery retailer’s store will be located about 35 miles south of Washington, D.C., at 155 Rosewick Corner Place.

“The La Plata store is the 63rd Aldi location to open in Maryland,” Jeff Bianchetta, Petersburg regional vice president for Aldi, told WGB. “Nationally, Aldi is one of America's fastest-growing retailers and operates more than 2,200 stores in 38 states.”

Last month the discount grocer widened its march into Maryland with the opening of a new store in Denton, located about 75 miles from the nation’s capital.

Designed to make grocery shopping smarter, faster and easier, the discount grocer is also accelerating its growth in the tech capabilities.

With a business model that is “intentionally different,” the Batavia, Illinois-based chain announced last October that it has been working on a new online shopping portal that would drive shoppers through its own channels, rather than solely through third-party platforms.  

The no-frills German discount grocery chain teamed up with Spryker to develop a new digital commerce platform for its online food and grocery shopping experience for the U.S. market.

"Aldi, in partnership with Spryker Systems, is currently testing a new online food and grocery shopping experience with a select group of customers that will be rolled out nationally in a phased approach," Scott Patton, Aldi's VP of national buying, told WGB last fall. "The new digital commerce platform will offer grocery delivery or curbside pickup, 

Last week, Spryker increased its leadership with the appointment of three new executives to grow its global customer base. Charla Session-Reed is the new VP of global partner marketing and Elena Leonova has been promoted to SVP of product. Both are based in Austin, Texas. Eric Schreiner, who is based in Germany, has been promoted to chief customer officer.

“By bringing together our best-in-class partner ecosystem, expert consulting teams, and our intelligent composition platform, designed specifically for sophisticated commerce, we can ensure that our customers' business goals are accomplished," Boris Lokschin, co-founder and CEO at Spryker said in a statement last Friday.