By ANNIE GOELLER, Daily Journal of Johnson County staff writer
A Greenwood grocery distributor needs to make room for new products and to serve future stores around Indianapolis.
Illinois-based Aldi plans to add 108,000 square feet to its distribution facility on Stop 18 Road near U.S. 31.
The expansion won’t bring immediate jobs to the area, but plans for new stores around Indianapolis could, said Laura Bauer, vice president and director of the Greenwood operation.
The expansion will cost about $15 million, Greenwood planning director Ed Ferguson said.
Aldi is a discount grocery store without any frills. Customers bag their own groceries and deposit a quarter for a shopping cart and their products are not widely known brands.
At least four new stores are planned in central Indiana, Bauer said.
Company officials are considering sites in Johnson County, she said. A grocery store is already located on U.S. 31, near the distribution center, and there are several in Indianapolis, including one near Southport Road and Emerson Avenue.
Bauer said she could not give information on specific locations because company policy requires keeping the sites confidential until a purchase is finalized.
The distribution facility serves stores from Fort Wayne to Louisville, Ky. Officials are planning to open a store in Lexington, Ky., and possibly others in Kentucky, she said.
New stores and new products, such as fresh meat, require more space at the distribution center, she said.
Company officials have not asked the city for any tax incentives related to the expansion.
Nearly 50 stores receive their products from the Greenwood facility, which employs about 70 people and has been operating since 1987.
The expansion is expected to be completed next year.
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