Aldi opens in downtown St. Paul, filling void for grocery shoppers

Residents of downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, say an Aldi that recently opened its doors in Pedro Park is filling a void.

That area of St. Paul went 547 days without a supermarket after a Lunds and Byerlys closed. 

In a statement, St. Paul Councilmember Rebecca Noecker said it's a "great step forward for our downtown as a neighborhood," and it "adds an important affordability option while bringing jobs, activity, and a new energy to downtown."

"It's huge, it's bigger than I thought it was gonna be," said Angela Conley, a St. Paul resident. "I depended on my daughter to and from the stores because they were so far away. And other people giving me lifts and rides."

The German brand has a goal of operating 3,200 stores by the end of 2028.

The previous Lunds said its March 2025 closure was because the store's operating costs outpaced sales.

"Wow, I'm like blown away" said Nick Cardinal who worked at the previous Lunds & Byerlys and stopped by ALDI to check it out. Conley told WCCO he thinks it'll help downtown and he's glad to see something back in that space.

"I was happy to hear there was another grocery store coming downtown. I didn't shop regularly at Lunds but I used them. I'll do some shopping here at Aldi," said Mark, a resident.

Despite it's urban location, parking is provided. 

The store will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.