Final touches: The new supermarket will be welcomed by Molonglo Valley residents. Photos: Ian Bushnell.
Molonglo Valley residents are preparing for the opening of the developing district’s third supermarket on Saturday (31 May), with Aldi pushing the go button on its 13th store in the ACT and 600th nationwide.
On Wednesday (28 May), workers were putting the finishing touches and final lick of paint to the new store and 200-space car park at Koko Molonglo in Wright under the supervision of developer and landlord John Krnc.
Mr Krnc said his crew was tidying up outside and the community should appreciate the opening of another supermarket in the Molonglo Valley.
He said the project had faced hurdles, including COVID, but the new 1078sqm store would still be delivered on time.
“We engaged Nikios Diamond, a Canberra-based builder, and they have done a fantastic job and put us back on schedule,” he said.
The new store sits on an upper level adjacent to the Koko Molonglo shops that already includes a 1500 sqm Woolworths Metro.
A peek inside showed staff preparing for Saturday, stacked shelves and piles of catalogues.
Molonglo residents have suffered from a lack of services and infrastructure, relying on the Weston Group Centre at Cooleman Court for their shopping, so another supermarket will change the dynamic for them, as well as start to alleviate the pressure on Cooleman Court.
Home Brew and Bar staff Raz and Paras are looking forward to more customers.
Businesses at Koko are also looking forward to the opening, expecting the two competing supermarkets to generate more custom, especially on weekends.
Paras at Home Brew Cafe and Bar said the cafe team was excited about the opening on Saturday and expected to put on extra staff to cope with what they hope will be a boost in traffic.
“It’s going to bring a lot of customers to us as well, and we’re looking forward to great things ahead,” he said.
“It’ll stimulate trade, and we are definitely expecting a high volume on that day. Normally, Saturday is our highest trading day, so we are very confident we’ll have a lot of customers who will visit us as well.”
Aldi staff outside the new store entrance.
Caroline from Wright said it was awesome that a new store was opening at Koko.
She still did her big shops at Cooleman Court in Weston, but not at Aldi. But that should change with the new store so close.
“I would only go to it if it was close and convenient, which it is here,” she said.
Megan from Coombs said she would definitely be shopping at the new Aldi.
Nearly ready to go. Staff prepare for Saturday’s opening.
Another Cooleman Court shopper said having an Aldi so close would save her a trip to Weston.
“It’ll be nice to have it in the area,” she said
It would also be good to have competition between the two supermarkets.
Aldi Managing Director, NSW/ACT Amy Petersat said the company’s 600th store opening in Wright marked a special milestone in its Australian story.
“We have been delivering shoppers across the country unbeatable value for almost 25 years and we can’t wait for the locals in Wright to experience this for themselves,” she said.
The Aldi store fronts Gornall Street and sits behind the multi-storey Stage 1 of the Koko development facing John Gorton Drive.
The building is connected to the underground car park via stairs, a lift, and a travelator, which leads down to the Koko shops. An airbridge also connects it to the Koko apartments.
The loading dock and back-of-house warehouse are located on the southern side of the site, adjacent to Gornall Street.
The store will open at 8:30 am on Saturday and trade daily from 8:30 am to 8 pm.
