Aldi requires a quarter to unlock a grocery cart, but you get it back when you return the cart.
Aldi requires a quarter to unlock a grocery cart, but you get it back when you return the cart.
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New Aldi opening June 11 near The Villages. When to go, what to expect

Shoppers in Florida hoping to stretch their grocery dollars will soon get another option: Aldi is continuing its Florida invasion with a new store scheduled to open in Lady Lake in June, near The Villages.

The new store is part of its seemingly endless wave of openings and conversions in the Sunshine State. The German-owned chain has already opened more than 20 new locations here this year, on top of 60 in 2025, bringing the total of Florida Aldis to 315, far more than any other state in the nation.

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Aldi, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in the U.S. this year, promises low prices, quality store brand items, no-frills layouts, and grand-opening giveaways for budget-conscious shoppers.

When and where the Lady Lake Aldi opens

Aldi recently announced that a new Lady Lake store will open on Thursday, June 11. A ribbon-cutting will be held at 8:45 a.m., and doors are scheduled to open about a half hour later. Lady Lake is in Lake County, north of Leesburg and west of Eustis.

The store will be located at 944 Bichara Blvd., at La Plaza Grande shopping center, a little over 2 miles from an existing Aldi on U.S. 441. The location was previously a Winn-Dixie, one of the stores Aldi held onto after briefly owning the chain in 2025.

What to expect on opening day

Like many recent Florida openings, the Lady Lake Aldi will feature grand‑opening promotions aimed at drawing early shoppers.

The first 200 customers on June 11 will get a Golden Ticket that could be worth up to $100. The first 200 people will also get a free eco-friendly bag of Aldi products.

If you don’t get there that early, free Aldi shopping totes will be available all day, while supplies last.

Shoppers should expect heavier‑than‑normal crowds early in the day, especially in the first few hours after opening. If you want to avoid the rush, consider stopping by later on June 11 or in the days that follow, when you can still find most of the same products and weekly deals without the long lines.

How Aldi works if you have never been

Aldi is a different shopping experience from most traditional supermarkets due to the steps the company has taken to keep prices low. Most of the products on the shelves are store‑brand items rather than big national labels, and the store layout is smaller and simpler than a typical big‑box grocer.

It starts as you go in: you’ll need a quarter to unlock a shopping cart in front of the store. You get the coin back when you return the cart, which means they don’t have to pay people to corral the carts.

Shoppers also bag their own groceries at a separate counter, and you are encouraged to bring your own bags, grab some of the empty cardboard boxes provided, or pay a small fee for bags at checkout.

There is no in-store deli, bakery, or pharmacy, which can be a problem for local shoppers when they replace an existing store that had them. Aldi also stocks a much smaller variety of brands than most stores.

Ways to save at Aldi

Aldi is known for budget‑friendly staples such as milk, eggs, bread, produce, and pantry basics, along with a rotating selection of limited‑time “Aldi Finds.” Those seasonal and specialty items can include everything from small kitchen appliances to outdoor gear and home décor, usually in the middle aisles.

Weekly ads highlight sale items and special buys, which can be viewed online or in printed flyers at the store entrance.

If this is your first time shopping at Aldi, it may help to start with your typical grocery list, compare prices on your core items, and then explore a few of the store‑brand products to see which ones you like best. Many Aldi items are very similar in quality to name-brand versions, regular shoppers say.

Aldi claims that prices overall run up to 35% cheaper compared to other grocery stores.

Where this fits into Aldi’s Florida growth

The Lady Lake opening is part of a broader Aldi push across Florida, where the chain has been steadily adding new locations and converting some former Winn‑Dixie and Harveys stores. Aldi plans to open more than 180 new stores nationwide in 2026.

Florida is an appealing market for several grocery store chains, with a rapidly growing and hungry population. Publix, Winn-Dixie, Sprouts Farmers Market, Trader Joe’s, and more have all announced expansion plans into and across the Sunshine State.

Aldi’s explosive expansion into Florida is part of a national push to add hundreds of locations with a goal of 3,200 stores by the end of 2028.

Is an Aldi coming to your area in Florida?

To see if your neighborhood is on Aldi’s radar, first check the list to make sure there isn’t already one nearby. There are 315 Aldi locations in Florida as of May 26. You can find the list at stores.aldi.us/fl.

You can also see what’s coming up in Florida and elsewhere at the company’s Grand Openings page at stores.aldi.us/grand-openings.

C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: New Aldi opening June 11 near The Villages. When to go, what to expect

Reporting by C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / The Daytona Beach News-Journal

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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