Germany: Aldi pioneering market in timber construction sets new standards

DRC Discount Retail Consulting GmbH
24 hours ago
2 min read

Discount Retail Chain Aldi South recently opened its store in the German Alzey industrial park. As a pilot project in all-timber construction, the chain store in Alzey, of all places, is showing what contemporary retail within a sustainable building can look like.

The new Aldi store in the Alzey industrial park has opened and is setting standards. After demolition and new construction, the store presents itself as a real showcase project and pilot for the Group. Special feature: The entire building was built in modern timber construction.

On around 1,100 square metres of sales space, customers can expect a noticeably new shopping experience. Extra-wide aisles, the well-known variety of goods and a light, warm wood look ensure an open and pleasant atmosphere.

Sustainability runs through the entire project. Not only the building material wood stands for this, but also the consistent use of existing resources. The entire furniture of the old market, 13 truckloads, has moved back in after the new building. There are now two photovoltaic systems on the roof: one from the original store, one from another demolished Aldi store. In the future, they will cover a significant part of the electricity demand, including for cooling and technology.

Only 18 months passed from the initial idea to the opening, the pure construction time including demolition was just six months. "This was only possible because we broke new ground with timber construction," explains Gregor Leier, Director of Property Management at Aldi Süd. "This project shows what is possible today. We are very happy with the result. This will certainly not be the last market in this design."

Mayor Steffen Jung congratulated on the opening and emphasized the importance of the project for the city: "The fact that a major chain store like Aldi is implementing such a pilot project in Alzey of all places is a strong signal. The market plays a pioneering role, for the Group and for our city. He shows that modern commercial buildings do not have to be made of stone, steel and concrete. This is a market that makes an impression."

And it continues: In the coming months, a Görtz store will open in the spacious parking lot. Beyond that, the topic of Aldi in Alzey remains exciting. In the existing store in Schafhäuser Straße, another project is planned for the next few years. In addition to a new market, residential development is also to be built there, a joint path between the city and the company. A development that, together with the project "Alte Feuerwache", will show how trade and urban development can be thought together.