The Aldi grocery store chain is again doing business in Newton, 18 years after closing the community’s previous store on First Avenue East. Today’s opening of a new store on Iowa Speedway Drive, across the street from the south entrance into Newton’s Wal-Mart, was part of a six year effort by Newton Community Development Specialist Craig Armstrong. Armstrong says his persistence to bring the grocery store chain to the city was driven by public demand.

“The thing I kept hearing over and over and over again when I would ask people, or when they would come to me and say ‘What we really need in Newton is’, seventy-five percent of them would say we need an Aldi.”

The Newton Community Development Specialist says Aldi likes to put stores close to a Wal-Mart.

“It’s actually good for business for both, and of course competition is excellent for business regardless of where you are. So, when Aldi announced they were coming to town, Wal-Mart got busy.”

Armstrong says Aldi’s announcement prompted Wal-Mart to repave their parking lot and renovate the store’s interior. Hear more from Newton Economic Development Specialist Craig Armstrong about the new Aldi store, on today’s Let’s Talk Newton.