Discount grocer ALDI plans to open a new store in Tulsa by the end of the year, a company representative said.
The company is advertising for positions at a location at 2711 S. Harvard Ave., currently home to a Staples. A sign on the door of the office accessories business says it will close that venue May 7.
The site is located just south of the Broken Arrow Expressway on Harvard Avenue.
“As one of America’s fastest-growing retailers, we are always exploring expansion opportunities in multiple markets across the country, and we carefully consider several factors when selecting locations for new ALDI stores,” Mark Bersted, Olathe (Kansas) division vice president for ALDI, said in an email.
“Bottom line, we look for convenient locations for our customers that can support a high daily traffic volume, and this Tulsa location is a natural fit.”
ALDI is undergoing a national expansion to become the country’s third-largest grocery retailer by store count in 2022.
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This year, it plans to open 100 stores in the United States.
Founded by the Albrecht family, the first ALDI store opened in 1961 in Germany.
Headquartered in Batavia, Illinois, ALDI has more than 2,000 stores across 36 states, employs about 25,000 people and has been growing since opening its first U.S. store in Iowa in 1976.
There are seven ALDI stores currently in the Tulsa metro, including locations in Bixby, Owasso and Sand Springs.
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Throwback Tulsa: Sears had everything when it opened at 21st & Yale in February 1958
Sears at 21st and Yale
Looking south on Yale Avenue toward 21st Street, it's clear that there wasn't much around when the Sears store, shown in the background, was built. The location was successful from the start and the store would later be the company's No. 1 in sales for the region. BERYL FORD COLLECTION/Rotary Club of Tulsa
Sears at 21st and Yale
When Sears opened at 21st Street and Yale Avenue in 1958, it had 2,000 parking spaces. The store sold a wide variety of merchandise, ranging from saddles to shrubbery, pearls to parakeets. BERYL FORD COLLECTION/Rotary Club of Tulsa
Sears at 21st and Yale
The Halliburton-Abbott building at Fifth Street and Boulder Avenue in downtown Tulsa is shown. Sears occupied the eight-story building from 1931 until 1958 when a Skaggs drugstore took over the lower floors. The building was demolished in 1980, and the Oneok building is there now. Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa
Sears at 21st and Yale
An Allstate insurance office is shown at the Sears department store at 21st Street and Yale Avenue on March 10, 1964. Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa
Sears at 21st and Yale
The Sears store at 21st Street and Yale Avenue is shown on Dec. 23, 1996. Sears closed its store at Fifth Street and Boulder Avenue in 1958 and built this store. Sears was the first downtown retailer to move to the suburbs when it opened this store in February 1958. It stood for 40 years before being demolished in 1998. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
The old Sears store at 21st Street and Yale Avenue (left) stands beside the new store under construction in August 1997. The old store was imploded after the new one opened in 1998. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
Construction on the new Sears store at 21st Street and Yale Avenue is shown in August 1997. It replaced an earlier store that served area shoppers for 40 years. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
Flintco Inc. workers apply finishing touches to the new Sears store on the corner of 21st Street and Yale Avenue in August 1997. The store opened in February 1998 after the old store was imploded. The new store was 60 feet east of the old store. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
Workers on construction scaffolding apply a stucco-line finish to the new Sears store at 21st and Yale in 1997. The building replaced an earlier store that was imploded using 200 pounds of explosives on March 21, 1998. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
Flintco Inc. worker Tom Dillard applies finishing touches to the new Sears store on the corner of 21st Street and Yale Avenue in August 1997. The store opened in February 1998 after the old Sears was imploded. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
Bill Cartwright walks out of the old Sears store at 21st Street and Yale Avenue carrying a clothes rack he purchased during a liquidation sale of store fixtures. The store was imploded on March 21, 1998, after the new store on the site opened. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
Maurice Lilley pulls up carpet squares to purchase at the old Sears store at 21st and Yale. Sears sold off fixtures and furnishings from the old store before tearing it down in 1998. A new store had been built nearby. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
Retirees from Sears picket the store at 21st and Yale in 1997 after the company stopped paying their insurance. At one time, the company offered a profit-sharing pension plan for employees. The old store was imploded in 1998. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
The Target store (left) is shown, looking south towards Sears at 21st Street and Yale Avenue on Dec. 23, 1996. Sears tore the old store down and built a new one, which developers connected to Target, with a Reasor's grocery and other retail space in between. Tulsa World File
Sears at 21st and Yale
With the lights of a Tulsa police cruiser in the foreground, the old Sears store at 21st Street and Yale Avenue stands gutted and surrounded by debris on March 20, 1998. The new store is shown behind it. The old store was demolished the following day. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
Arrow Wrecking Co. spent a month tearing down parts of the old Sears at 21st Street and Yale Avenue, weakening walls in just the right places and removing everything that could be recycled or sold for scrap. Then, the building was imploded on March 21, 1998. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
Billowing masonry dust rises as the former Sears store at 21st Street and Yale Avenue is imploded on March 21, 1998. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
The former Sears store at 21st Street and Yale Avenue implodes on March 21, 1998. This is one of several time lapse photos. Puffs of dust indicate approximate location of charges placed in a pie shape from the northwest corner (near the center of the photo). Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
The implosion of the former Sears store at 21st Street and Yale Avenue is shown in one of a series of photos. A new store was built 60 feet from the old one. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
This is one of a series of photos taken by John David Heckel during the implosion of the former Sears store at 21st Street and Yale Avenue on March 21, 1998. About 1,000 people gathered at 6:30 a.m. to watch from the parking lots of the Target store and the Mayo Meadow shopping center. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
An explosives technician walks past the southeast corner of the former Sears store at 21st Street and Yale Avenue in 1998 after the building was imploded. The grandstand visible in background is at Fair Meadows at Expo Square. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
Demolition workers and spectators walk around before the dust settles after the old Sears store at 21st Street and Yale Avenue was imploded on March 21, 1998. Wind scattered dust and debris from the implosion, which was accomplished using more than 200 pounds of explosives placed inside the store. A new store was built beside the old one and was already open for business. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
A shopper comes out of the Sears store at 21st Street and Yale Avenue. The store was completed and opened in February 1998 before the old store was demolished nearby. The new store featured a stucco-type exterior with art deco touches. A Sears official said it was very unusual for the company to open a new free-standing store on the site of a previous one. New stores were only built in malls at the time. Tulsa World file
Sears at 21st and Yale
In 1998, the new Sears store opened at 21st Street and Yale Avenue. As shown in a 2001 aerial photo, it is connected to a shopping center with Gordman's, Reasor's and Target stores. Other businesses were built along Yale Avenue. TOM GILBERT/Tulsa World file
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Major ways shopping has changed in just a few years
Rhett Morgan
Staff Writer
I'm in my fourth decade as a reporter. I cover real-estate development, manufacturing, aerospace, entrepreneurship and all other topics related to the Work and Money section.
