MEMPHIS, Tenn.– Aldi has decided to close one of its grocery stores in Memphis, the company announced Thursday.
The company said it has decided to close its store located at 2877 Lamar Avenue after serving the Orange Mound and Bethel Grove communities for 15 years.
People living near the Orange Mound area are disappointed after the popular grocery store decided to close its store.
“Another grocery store in a predominantly black neighborhood offering fresh food once again is closed down,” one shopper said.
On Friday, the windows were boarded, doors were locked, and employees were clearing out the shelves.
Aldi says all of its employees at the Lamar Avenue location will be relocated to nearby stores. However, left behind are the residents living nearby that said they were very disappointed in the grocery store’s decision to leave this community.
“We’re not a large community, but this is our store,” shopper Stacy Wilson said.
In a statement, Aldi said there were multiple factors in their decision to close the store, including repeated burglaries, property damage, and poor sales performance.
The spokesperson stated, “Out of concern for our employees and customers, keeping this store open was no longer a sustainable option.”
“I was just at this store two days ago. We don’t have high crime over here. So, this is a complete shock,” Wilson said.
According to the Memphis police crime tracker, officers responded to 13 incidents at the location in the past year. On Tuesday, police say someone broke into the building after hours. It’s unclear what was stolen.
No one was hurt.
Customers say the closure is still a huge inconvenience.
“It’s possible to have all these liquor stores. It’s possible to have all these gas stations with unhealthy stuff. So, why can’t it be possible to have more stores with fresh food and fruits and vegetables for the community?” another shopper said.
Aldi’s full statement is below:
We’ve made the difficult decision to permanently close our store located at 2877 Lamar Ave in Memphis. We do not take the closing of this location lightly. Our decision was based on several factors, including repeated burglaries, property damage and poor sales performance. Out of concern for our employees and customers, keeping this store open was no longer a sustainable option. Our employees will continue to work at one of our other ALDI locations in the immediate area.
We have been proud to serve the residents of this neighborhood over the past 15 years, and we thank our customers for their loyalty. We look forward to continuing to serve customers at one of our many stores nearby:
ALDI company spokesperson
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