Aldi supermarket opening at Brick Superdome spot abandoned by Foodtown 20 years ago

BRICK - After one Aldi grocery store closed on Sunday, a new one opens Thursday on Route 70.

The German discount grocer's newest store, which is at 780 Route 70 near Brick Boulevard and replaces an older one on Van Zile Road at the Shops at Brick shopping center, opens at 8 a.m. The store's hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

"We are excited to provide local shoppers a revamped and refreshed Aldi store designed to make grocery shopping smarter, faster and easier," said Bob Grammer, Aldi's Center Valley regional vice president, in a statement.

"We are always looking out for the needs of our shoppers, and decided to move our Brick store to allow more room for added fresh, high-quality products at affordable prices, which our loyal shoppers know and love."

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The move brings a grocer back to the site of a former Foodtown supermarket, which has been vacant for more than 20 years. It is part of a new shopping center called Marketplace at Forge Pond.

Besides Aldi, Marketplace at Forge Pond also calls for a 4,300-square-foot building with room for a drive-through. The center's proposal also calls for a restaurant with a liquor license and a building that could be a bank or small store.

The property also will be home to a Superdome sports complex with about 60,000 square feet of indoor turf and a three-lane running track. The facility will also have locker rooms, a full-service daycare center, pickleball courts,  outdoor sand volleyball courts and an outdoor track.

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Known for its small stores, Aldi has about 12,000 square feet of retail space divided into five aisles. More than 90% of the groceries sold are under Aldi's exclusive brands, which the grocer says will help customers save on their grocery bills.

David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for more than 20 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: New Brick NJ Aldi supermarket opening at old Foodtown location