Team GB track star Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake cut the red ribbon at 8am today alongside pupils from George Tomlinson Primary School
A brand-new Aldi store at the ex-Matalan site on Leytonstone High Road opened its doors to customers this morning at 8am.
Team GB athletics track star Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake cut the red ribbon alongside pupils from George Tomlinson Primary School.
The High Road store is the first Aldi to open in Leytonstone and will be run by store manager Summer Willfang, along with a team of 35 colleagues from the local area.
Team GB bronze medallist Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake gave away complimentary bags of fresh fruit and vegetables from Aldi’s famous Super 6 range to the first 30 customers in the queue, before delivering an inspirational assembly for pupils at George Tomlinson Primary School as part of the supermarket’s initiative, Get Set to Eat Fresh.
A planning permission letter sent by Aldi representatives to the council confirms “another foodstore operator” will move to the site.
The council granted Aldi and the other food retailer permission to convert the building into two separate retail units in April, the letter states.
Though M&S signage has also gone up outside the former Matalan, the retailer is yet to officially confirm it is coming to Leytonstone.
Department store Matalan, which operated for over two decades in Leytonstone, closed its doors for the final time on 7th January.
In celebration of its opening, Aldi Leytonstone also offered pupils at George Tomlinson Primary School the opportunity to win a £20 gift voucher to spend at the new store. The children were tasked with creating a poster to show what healthy eating means to them. Mitchell-Blake announced the winner during the assembly and the winning pupil was presented with their £20 voucher.
Store manager Summer Willfang said: “It’s been a wonderful morning here at the opening of Aldi Leytonstone. 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 George Tomlinson Primary School through our partnership with Team GB.”
Team GB star Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake said: “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 George Tomlinson Primary School 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.
Leytonstone customers can also take a walk down the ‘Aisle of Aldi’, where they will find Specialbuys which are available every Thursday and Sunday. During opening week, the store will be offering a range of kitchen essentials including an air fryer for £39.99, a soup maker for £19.99 and oven dishes for £6.99.
Additionally, the new Aldi store is calling on local charities and food banks in Leytonstone 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, seven days a week.
The new store is located on 829-837 High Road, Leytonstone, E11 1HH, and will be open from 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.
Any charities in the area that would like to partner up with the new Aldi store should email [email protected]
No news is bad news
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
Monthly direct debit
Annual direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.
More information on supporting us monthly or annually
More Information about donations
