A Team GB Olympic medallist was on hand to launch a new supermarket in Finchley Road.
Aldi Local opened its doors in the 02 Shopping Centre on Thursday, July 7 with hockey player Sarah Jones cutting the red ribbon alongside pupils from Holy Trinity Primary School.
Team GB bronze medallist Sarah gave away free bags of fresh fruit and vegetables from Aldi’s famous Super 6 range to the first 30 customers in the queue .
She was looking forward to delivering a virtual assembly for Holy Trinity pupils as part of the supermarket’s Get Set to Eat Fresh initiative, and talk to pupils about her experience of competing as an Olympian and her challenging training regime.
Sarah said: "It was an honour to officially open the store and welcome customers inside for the first time," she said.
“I am looking forward to speaking with the children at Holy Trinity Primary School about the importance of eating healthily and how it can be fun to plan and prepare meals as a family.
"Hopefully I will also manage to inspire the pupils to keep active and try different sports.”
The new store has a team of 35 staff. Aldi has recruited 20 colleagues and they are looking for seven store assistants.
Store manager Denisa Liptakova said: “ 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 are able to support Holy Trinity Primary School through our partnership with Team GB.”
Robert Goodman, retail operations Director at Landsec, which owns the O2 Centre, said: “Throughout our conversations with local people over the last couple of years, we’ve learnt that access to an affordable supermarket is a top priority for the community, so we’re delighted to welcome Aldi to Finchley Road.
Charities that register to Neighbourly, a community engagement programme, will be able to collect surplus food and perishable products, such as fruit, vegetables and baked goods, up to seven days a week. Interested charities should email aldi@neighbourly.com
The new store at the O2 Centre is open Monday to Saturday, 7am to 11pm, and Sunday, 11am to 5pm.
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