Aldi Opens Bell Boulevard Location in Lehigh Acres

Aldi opened a new grocery store on Wednesday on Bell Boulevard in Lehigh Acres. The grand opening ended long drives for residents who once traveled 45 minutes to find affordable groceries. 

Shoppers arrived at 7 a.m. Thursday, wanting to be first inside. The line snaked around the building.

"I'm super excited because it's right by my house, so we've been waiting since seven this morning," Daisy said, according to Fox 4.

Jolie Kendrick shops in LaBelle and drives 45 minutes to reach budget-friendly stores. She visited on Wednesday, the first day it opened.

"We actually just drove by, and I was like, let's check and see if it's open yet. And today is the first day open, and they have amazing deals," Kendrick said. "It's beautiful inside. It's super organized. They have all the fresh produce and a lot of deals today, stuff that's like, 59 cents, one dollar, so it's really nice."

Fresh produce gets delivered daily. Rick stopped by Wednesday and said he'd been waiting months.

"I don't have to drive all the way over to the other Aldi, because I started a couple of months ago going to the other one, thinking this one would be open any day. It finally is here," Rick said.

The store missed an earlier opening date this year. Several customers mentioned waiting a long time.

Kendrick said the timing helps families watching their money. "For people that have lower incomes, it's great because there's lower prices on good food," Kendrick said. "So, it's nice."

The retailer told Fox 4 it was excited to keep growing in Florida. "With the lowest prices of any national grocery store, we're proud to bring Lehigh Acres shoppers affordable products without compromising on quality," the company said.