New Walsall Aldi opens to public with help of Paralympian
A new Aldi store in Walsall opened its doors to customers with Paralympic GB judo hero Chris Skelley cutting the red ribbon alongside pupils from Croft Academy.
The Crown Wharf Retail Park will be run by store manager Adam Porter, along with a team of 36 colleagues.
In celebration, Paralympic GB gold medallist Chris Skelley gave away complimentary bags of fresh fruit and vegetables from Aldi’s Super 6 range to the first 30 customers in the queue.
Mr Skelley then delivered an assembly for pupils at Croft Academy as part of the supermarket’s initiative, Get Set to Eat Fresh – which has already inspired two million school children aged five to 14 years to learn more about the benefits of cooking fresh, healthy food with their families.
In honour of Aldi’s new partnership with ParalympicsGB, the gold medallist from Tokyo 2020 focused on the benefits of eating healthy food and the importance of exercise and believing in yourself. He talked to pupils about his experience of competing as a Paralympian and shared his challenging training regime.
In addition, Aldi Crown Wharf offered pupils at the local primary school the opportunity to win a £20 gift voucher to spend at the new store.
Children at Croft Academy were tasked with creating a poster to show what healthy eating means to them.
Chris Skelley announced the winner during the assembly and the pupil was presented with their £20 voucher.
Store manager Adam Porter said: “It’s been a wonderful morning here at the opening of Aldi Crown Wharf. It was lovely to welcome our new customers into store, and I look forward to meeting more of the community in the coming weeks.
“I’m also thrilled that we’ve been able to support Croft Academy through our partnership with ParalympicsGB.”
ParalympicsGB star Chris Skelley added: “I’ve had a fantastic time opening the new Aldi this morning. It was an honour to officially open the store and welcome customers inside for the first time.
“It was great to speak with the children at Croft Academy about the importance of eating healthily and how it can be fun to plan and prepare meals as a family. Hopefully I’ve also managed to inspire the pupils to keep active and try different sports.”
The new Aldi store offers large chillers and freezers dedicated to fresh, British meat products, a ‘Food to Go’ section at the front of the store, and an exclusive section full of health and beauty products.
Walsall customers can also take a walk down the ‘Aisle of Aldi’, where they will find legendary Specialbuys which are available every Thursday and Sunday. During opening week, the store will be offering a range of kitchen essentials including a Paella Pan for £9.99, a contemporary kettle for £22.99 and a Milk Heater/Frother for £19.99.
Additionally, the new Aldi store is calling on local charities and food banks in Walsall to register with Neighbourly, a community engagement platform that links businesses to charitable organisations in the local community.
Local charities that register will be able to collect surplus food and perishable products, such as fruit, vegetables and baked goods, up to seven days a week.
Any charities in the area that would like to partner up with the new Aldi store should email aldi@neighbourly.com.
The new store is located on Crown Wharf Retail Park, Wolverhampton Street, Walsall WS2 8LL and will be open:
Monday - Saturday: 8am – 10pm
Sunday: 10am – 4pm
