New west Toowoomba Aldi opening date revealed

THERE is a buzz in the air at one west Toowoomba location, as customers and retailers prepare for the opening of the long-awaited Aldi.

THERE is a buzz in the air at Bridge St Plaza, as customers and retailers prepare for the opening of the long-awaited Aldi on January 15.

The supermarket giant has moved into the space previously occupied by the centre's IGA, which closed without warning in 2016.

The IGA's wind-up hit other plaza businesses hard, and it is now hoped the Aldi will draw more customers back to the Torrington address.

One retailer looking forward to the opening is Adam McWhinnie, co-owner of new plaza cafe The Farmhouse Toowoomba.

"It's been a long slog for many of the businesses in here," Mr McWhinnie said.

"I'm delighted that they have all been able to hang on and hopefully we'll see a really good boost from this.

"It's a game changer because the centre will be alive and hopefully that will translate into business for us."

Mr McWhinnie said the move reflected well on Bridge St Plaza.

"Everything that Aldi does is data driven, so the fact that they shut up at Clifford Gardens and moved here, they must have been sure it was a correct business decision," he said.

"I think the Aldi opening and the traffic increase from that will bring other businesses into the centre. Everyone is going to want to jump in on it."

The Farmhouse held its soft launch in November and is hosting its official opening today.

Mr McWhinnie said they planned the cafe's schedule with Aldi's opening in mind.

"If it had been a more concrete date we would have tied it in closer," he said.

"But we decided to establish our own brand and then treat Aldi's opening as the cherry on top."

Aldi Australia's Queensland managing director Joanne Brown said the store would open at 8.30am next Wednesday.

"We're excited to be opening our new store in Torrington and look forward to showing local residents the difference Aldi can make to their wallets and lifestyles," Ms Brown said.

The new store features a number of recently introduced innovations including improved product displays, navigation and a modern interior store design.

"While we're delighted to be introducing these innovations, we want our customers to know they won't lead to higher prices," Ms Brown said.

She also said the store would celebrate its opening with some special deals.