SHOPPERS in Hattersley have welcomed the arrival of a new Aldi store, with a ParalympicsGB silver medallist helping to officially open the doors.
The new supermarket on Stockport Road has opened to customers, with Paris 2024 cycling medallist Archie Atkinson cutting the ribbon alongside pupils from St James Catholic Primary School.
It is the first Aldi store to open in Hattersley and has created 24 jobs for people from the local community.
Store Manager Danielle Airey is leading the new team and was on hand to welcome the first customers through the doors.
Archie also met shoppers before giving complimentary bags of fresh fruit and vegetables to the first 30 people in the queue.
The Paralympic cyclist then headed to St James Catholic Primary School, where he spoke to pupils about healthy eating, exercise and his experiences of competing at the highest level.
The assembly formed part of Aldi’s Get Set to Eat Fresh initiative, which encourages children aged five to 14 to learn more about preparing fresh and healthy food with their families.
Archie also spoke about his training regime and the importance of believing in yourself.
Pupils were given the chance to design a poster showing what healthy eating means to them, with one child winning a £20 Aldi gift voucher.
The winning poster was announced by Archie during the school assembly.
Danielle said: “It’s been a wonderful morning here at the opening of Aldi Hattersley. It was lovely to welcome our new customers into the store, and I look forward to meeting more of the community in the coming weeks. I’m also thrilled that we’ve been able to support St James Catholic Primary School through our partnership with ParalympicsGB.”
Archie added: “I’ve had a fantastic time opening the new Aldi this morning. It was an honour to officially open the store and welcome customers inside for the first time.
“It was great to speak with the children at St James Catholic Primary School about the importance of eating healthily and how it can be fun to plan and prepare meals as a family. Hopefully I’ve also managed to inspire the pupils to keep active and try different sports.”
The store is also looking to work with charities and food banks in the Hattersley area through Neighbourly, allowing registered organisations to collect surplus food and perishable goods from the supermarket.
Local charities interested in partnering with the store can contact aldi@neighbourly.com.
The new Aldi is located at Hattersley Trade Park on Stockport Road, SK14 6BS. It is open from 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays.