STAUNTON - Frontier Center will be seeing two new stores opening in May. Aldi and Bojangles' are set to open in the coming weeks.
Aldi
Aldi is set to open this week in Staunton's new Frontier Center, making it the first store to open in the shopping center.
May 3 was scheduled to mark the store's first day.
Gift cards will be given to the first 100 customers and shoppers can enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a year's supply of Aldi produce, a release said.
The Staunton store is part of a $3.4 billion Aldi investment to expand to 2,500 stores nationwide by the end of 2022, a release said.
"Aldi stores look and feel different, and that's by design," said Chris Daniels, Petersburg division vice president for Aldi. "Our shopping experience was created to make life easier for our customers. Our exclusive and streamlined selection gives you the food you need at the prices you want, including hot new trends and healthy-living options."
The store will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Aldi is a Germany-based discount supermarket chain that operates nearly 1,600 stores in 35 states and offers its own brand-named products, according to the company's website. Three years ago, Aldi opened a store in Waynesboro.
Aldi currently has more than 1,750 stores in 35 states.
Learn more about Aldi here.
Frontier Center will also see Bojangles', Chick-fil-A and McDonald's opening in the shopping center.
Bojangles'
Bojangles' is still teasing an actual opening date on its Facebook page, but it should be any day now.
Staunton Frontier Center across from Staunton Crossing and in front of the Frontier Culture Museum plans to bring retail, restaurants and lodging to a 42-acre area on land adjacent to Sheetz. The original master plan was presented to city council in 2010 and in 2014, plans began to move forward.
Work began around the winter of 2016.
Four out of the five parcels have tenants (Chick-fil-A, McDonalds, Bojangles' and Aldi) while a fifth tenant hasn't been confirmed.
The second phase would encompass a shopping center, where the company is in search of an anchor store. The shopping center would cover up to 300,000 square feet and require the demolition of the long-defunct DeJarnette buildings on Staunton's southeastern corridor. Discussions are also ongoing with a variety of retailers for Phase II of the project.
Staunton Crossing saw the groundbreaking of two hotels — a Marriott Fairfield Inn and Suites first and a Tru by Hilton hotel — this past fall. The hotels are expected to open in the following months.
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