There is a growing call for German supermarket giant Aldi to set up shop in Maitland following this week’s Fairfax Media report asking when and where the chain will open.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It has been three years since plans were originally flagged and approved for an Aldi store in Central Maitland but city still has no concrete answer if the supermarket will go ahead.
Rumour has it that Aldi will set up shop in the city centre but the company remains coy about its possible location and whether or not it will actually go ahead.
A spokesperson for Aldi declined to comment when contacted by Fairfax Media.
Even Maitland Mayor Peter Blackmore says he can’t understand what the delay is and that people continually ask him when is Aldi coming.
While the majority of the Mercury’s Facebook readers were all for an Aldi in the city centre, others called for more parking, a Timezone, Target, Costco, Chemist Warehouse, a direct factory outlet centre or a GP that bulk bills.
Residents from Gillieston Heights, Beresfield and Thornton called on Aldi to scout out locations in their suburbs to build supermarkets there.
The report also attracted a large number of comments after it was posted to the You Know You’re From Maitland Facebook page.
Former Maitland councillor and You Know You’re From Maitland Page founder Aaron Golledge believes the construction of and Aldi supermarket would be the icing on the cake for The Levee, sealing its position as a premier regional shopping hub bringing more people into the city.
“It would bring more people into The Levee and would have a flow-on effect to the café scene and other local businesses,” Mr Golledge said.
Other readers on both pages commented on the state of the former Franklin’s Supermarket and Sam’s Warehouse building. They said it needed to be cleaned up and was a city eyesore.
A member of The You Know You’re From Maitland Facebook page said a few years ago Maitland had three supermarkets.
“Think back not very long ago there were three supermarkets in Maitland, now there is only one. So Woolworths has the monopoly yet again,” the member said.
During a photo shoot last week Cr Blackmore was stopped by four residents asking him when Aldi was coming to town. “People are constantly asking me when the Aldi development is going ahead,” he said.
“The Aldi sign is still up in the Sam’s Warehouse window. The site looks terrible at the moment. We’re still left in the dark about its future and I have no idea what the holdup is. The time is right to develop it now while Stockland Green Hills is under construction. I really don’t understand why it’s taking so long to make an announcement,” the mayor said.
