The Oakwell Road store will be run by Justin Wilson, along with a team of 25 colleagues from the local community.
ParalympicsGB gold medallist Jack Smith gave away complimentary bags of fresh fruit and vegetables to the first 30 customers in the queue, before delivering an inspirational assembly for pupils at Castle Douglas Primary School as part of the supermarket’s initiative, Get Set to Eat Fresh.
The gold medallist from Tokyo 2020 focused on the benefits of eating healthy food and the importance of exercise and believing in yourself. He also spoke to pupils about his experience of competing as a Paralympian and shared his challenging training regime.
Aldi also offered pupils 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. Jack announced the winner during the assembly.
Store manager Justin Wilson said: “It was lovely to welcome our new customers into store. I’m also thrilled that we’ve been able to support Castle Douglas Primary School through our partnership with ParalympicsGB.”
Jack Smith added: “It was an honour to officially open the store and it was great to speak with the children at Castle Douglas Primary School. Hopefully I’ve managed to inspire the pupils to keep active and try different sports.”
The new store offers large chillers and freezers dedicated to fresh, Scottish meat products, a ‘food to go’ section, and an exclusive section full of health and beauty products.
Customers can also take a walk down the ‘aisle of Aldi’, where they will find Specialbuys which are available every Thursday and Sunday.
Additionally, the new store is calling on local charities and food banks in Castle Douglas to register with Neighbourly, a community engagement platform that links businesses to charitable organisations in the local community.
Charities that register will be able to collect surplus food and perishable products.
Any charities in the area that would like to partner up with the new Aldi store should email [email protected].
- The shop is open from Monday to Saturday: 8 pm to 10 pm. And Sunday: 8 am to 8 pm.