No-frills supermarket opens on LI

Aldi, a German supermarket chain known for its no-frills and low-cost approach to selling groceries, opened its first Long Island store Monday in Bay Shore.

The shop is the second Aldi in the metropolitan area -- after the February opening of a Rego Park location -- and is part of the company's overall expansion efforts, which includes adding more than 80 new stores this year to the 1,100 they have in the United States, said officials at Aldi, which is short for Albrecht Discount.

"We've really been trying to meet the growing demand for our product and our brand," said Bruce Persohn, Aldi's regional division vice president.

Aldi's thrifty approach to selling groceries begins with a very small store -- about a quarter of the size of a regular supermarket, Persohn said. The shelves are undecorated, and grocery items are laid out in the boxes they were delivered in for more efficiency. Most grocery necessities are in stock, but there is very little brand choice -- Aldi mainly stocks its own private-label items. Customers must also bring their own bags to carry the groceries, or pay for a plastic bag.

Aldi's expansion efforts have been well timed, as Americans weathering the recession and its aftereffects became more thrifty and began consuming cheaper, private-label brands, industry experts said.

Since 2000, Aldi has grown at 12.2 percent in the United States annually, according to Barry Berman, a business professor at Hofstra University. Berman recently wrote a book on retail practices during hard economic times and highlighted Aldi's business strategy.

"People are eating more private-label products than ever before," Berman said. "If you like it, you're going to come back again even after the economy improves . . . And then you say, 'Why do I want to pay full price again?' "

Aldi plans to continue its expansion in the metro area by opening a store in the Bronx in December. Berman said he expects Aldi will be able to challenge other well-known grocery chains in the area if more stores open up on Long Island.

"One thing I've noticed, I don't think they're afraid of any competitors, they take on the big supermarket chains," said Mike Berger, editor of The Griffin Report of Food Marketing, a food industry publication.

Andrea Voldi, 39, of Copiague, came to Aldi's grand opening Monday after seeing an advertisement for it. It was her first time shopping at Aldi, but she said she was impressed with the prices and selection. "There's nothing from what you would see in a store like brand names," she said. "But nowadays I guess it doesn't matter, with the economy and all."