Aldi supermarket in Macduff is officially opened by Olympic rower Rowan McKellar
The long-awaited new Aldi supermarket in Macduff was officially opened on Thursday morning.
The ribbon was cut by Olympic bronze medallist rower Rowan McKellar along with pupils from Macduff Primary School.
Shoppers who were queuing to get in where then able to enter the Duff Street store and get their first look at what was on offer on the shelves.
Pipers from Banff Castle Pipe Band entertained the crowd at the opening ceremony.
The new supermarket is run by manager Liza Cooper, along with a team of 28 colleagues from the local community.
Liza said: “It was lovely to welcome our new customers into 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 Macduff Primary School through our partnership with Team GB.”
The store is part of Aldi’s investment in communities across the UK
It offers Scottish meat products with weekly offers; Aldi’s award-winning “Specially Selected” range; exclusive beers, wines and spirits; and a “Food to Go” section at the front of the supermarket.
Aldi’s Specialbuys are also available in the middle aisle every Thursday and Sunday, offering value on a wide range of products, from electrical items to garden tools.
As Aldi has been fuelling Team GB with healthy food since 2015 through monthly vouchers, Olympian Rowan McKellar celebrated the store opening by cutting the ribbon.
Rowan also gave away complimentary bags of fresh fruit and vegetables from Aldi’s Super 6 range before delivering an inspirational assembly for pupils at Macduff Primary School as part of the supermarket’s initiative - Get Set to Eat Fresh.
The programme has already inspired more than two and a half million school children aged 5-14 years to learn more about the benefits of cooking fresh, healthy food with their families.
The bronze medallist from Paris 2024 focused on the benefits of eating healthy food and the importance of exercise and believing in yourself. She also spoke to pupils about her experience of competing as an Olympian and shared her challenging training regime.
Aldi also offered pupils at Macduff Primary School the opportunity to win a £20 gift voucher to spend at the new store.
The children were tasked with creating a poster to show what healthy eating means to them. Rowan announced the winner during the assembly and the pupil was presented with their prize.
Rowan McKellar said: “I had a fantastic time opening the new Aldi. 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 Macduff 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 new Aldi supermarket is calling on local charities and food banks in the area to register with Neighbourly, a community engagement platform that links businesses to charitable organisations.
Charities that register will be able to collect surplus food and perishable products, such as fruit, vegetables and baked goods, seven days a week.
Any organisations in the area that would like to partner up with the new Aldi store should email aldi@neighbourly.com
The supermarket is open Monday-Saturday: 8am-10pm and Sunday: 9am-8pm.
