The supermarket chain ALDI, which has experienced rapid new expansion along the Alabama Gull Coast, will open its doors to a new store in Fairhope on March 2.

It is the company’s first store to open in Fairhope, and the third in Baldwin County. Stores have already opened in Foley and Daphne.

The first 100 customers will get a gift bag filled with a sampling of ALDI “fan favorite” products and a gift card as part of the ALDI Golden Ticket gift card giveaway program.

Shoppers can also enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a $500 ALDI gift card through the store’s opening weekend, March 2-5.

The store will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 10101 County Road 48, near the city’s Walmart Supercenter.

“Our stores are designed to make grocery shopping smarter, faster and easier, and we’ve been voted the price leader for six years running,” said Heather Moore, the regional vice president for ALDI in Loxley. “We’re excited to open our first ALDI store in Fairhope and introduce local customers to a new, more affordable way of shopping.”

The Fairhope store’s opening comes exactly one year since the first ALDI store opened on the Alabama Gulf Coast in Mobile. Since then, two other Mobile stores have opened as well as the two in Baldwin County.

The opening also comes right after ALDI opened its new regional headquarters and distribution center near Alabama State Route 59, north of Loxley.

The grand opening of the massive facility took place last month. It is expected to serve 30 stores with a design to supply around 100. The regional distribution center’s territory spans from as far north as Tuscaloosa and Montgomery. The Birmingham region will continue to be served by an ALDI hub in Mt. Juliet, Tenn.

ALDI officials anticipate 200 employees at the regional distribution center.

ALDI claims that more than 1,000 new stores have opened in the U.S. within the past decade.

The store have some distinct features that might be new to some shoppers:

• Shopping carts have to be unlocked, and patrons need a quarter to do so. They get the quarter back when they return the cart. Company officials have said the process is meant as a motivational tool for patrons not to leave their carts loose in the parking lot.
• Patrons have to bag or box their own groceries.
• The stores are relatively smaller compared to most supermarkets. The first stores in the Mobile area have been around 20,000 square feet (the company says its typical store is 12,000 square feet), compared to a supercenter that average slightly under 200,000 square feet.
• The chain offers a limited selection, giving it the feel of a small, upscale Sam’s or Costco. The company boasts about its “exclusive brands” that fit every taste and lifestyle (gluten-free, plant-based, dairy alternatives, etc.) along with a large wine and cheese selection. The store also features limited-time ALDI Finds like candles, seasonal foods, home goods, etc.