New Aldi store in El Arenal: Two floors, local products and 13 jobs at Ballermann

New Aldi store in El Arenal: Two floors, local products and 13 jobs at Ballermann

On Wednesday morning a new chapter opened for the shopping landscape on the beach at Carretera Militar 199 in El Arenal: Aldi has opened its first store in the immediate Ballermann area. The shop spans two floors, features an externally mounted escalator and is open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 21:30.

Those who dropped by in the early hours encountered a mix of locals, hotel staff and curious tourists. Delivery vans could be heard in the street, the sea remained audible, and beneath the umbrellas on the promenade Mallorcan voices mixed with German — a winter shopping day on the coast.

What's inside and what it means for the neighborhood

Across two levels the market offers around 400 fresh items, according to the company: fruit, vegetables, meat and fish are part of the range. There is also the promotional area "El Bazar de ALDI", where changing offers from decoration, household and DIY are regularly stocked — new items appear every Wednesday and Saturday. Special prices and discounts attracted customers for the opening. More background is available in Celebrate on a Budget: How ALDI's New Gourmet Line Eases Christmas on the Balearic Islands.

The reopening has concrete effects for the immediate area: 13 jobs have been created, and Aldi lists a total of 17 stores in the Balearic Islands, 14 of them on Mallorca. According to the company, more than 260 people are employed in the Balearics; nationwide Aldi operates over 495 stores and, by its own account, serves more than eight million customers. This development is explored in Aldi on Mallorca: Expansion with Opportunities — and Open Questions.

Local suppliers on the list

A small but not insignificant part of the range comes from the island: about 20 producers supply around 50 products from the Balearics. The list therefore also includes wines from local bodegas such as Pere Seda and Macià Batle as well as products with the protected designation of origin Binissalem. Altogether, nine out of ten products are private labels and eight out of ten have a national origin — a mix intended to combine low prices with a touch of local.

For the neighborhood this means fresh goods without long transport, more choice for hotel and catering staff, and a convenient spot when the larger supermarkets are full in season. For smaller producers, presence in a chain can also bring additional visibility — provided the terms are right.

Looking ahead

The store opening shows how the shopping structure on Mallorca is continuing to change: discounters and chains are adapting their formats to tourist-oriented locations — here with two floors and a striking external escalator. For residents this means more convenient supplies; for local businesses it is a chance to present their products to a larger audience.

Whether the new Aldi store will sustainably change shopping habits at Ballermann remains to be seen — but in everyday life it will probably bring something often overlooked in the low season: reliable opening hours, fresh offers and price alternatives for people who live or work here. And who knows: after the first shopping trip there might even be time for a short walk by the sea before the escalator carries you back up.