As some malls struggle to draw customers, one south Mississippi mall is experiencing a resurgence with recent store openings and an extremely popular grocery chain is about to give a big boost when it opens next week.

ALDI announced it will open Thursday, January 19, with a “sneak peek” set for Wednesday in McComb. The German brand will take up a portion of the former JCPenney space at Uptown McComb, formerly known as Edgewood Mall. It will join Ross Dress for Less as neighbors in the former department store footprint.

“Our stores are designed to make grocery shopping smarter, faster and easier, and we’ve been voted the price leader for five years running,” said Heather Moore, Loxley regional vice president for ALDI. “We’re excited to open our first ALDI store in McComb and introduce local customers to a new, more affordable way of shopping.”

First-timers to ALDI will notice some unique features. For example, to use a cart, customers must deposit a quarter. The money is returned when the customer returns the cart to the store, a way to keep carts from being scattered across parking lots, damaging vehicles and requiring store personnel time gathering them throughout the day.

“We’re new to McComb, and we can’t wait to meet you,” a press release states. “Right now, we’re stocking our shelves with aisle after aisle of products you’ll love. We’ve got everything from fresh produce delivered daily to everyday essentials you can never have enough of. So circle the date 1/19/23 and come experience a better way to shop.”

There are also many brands not found at other grocers, and unique items that may not be available in the future.

The McComb location will be the ninth ALDI in Mississippi. It will be located at 1724 Veterans Blvd. and will be open from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily. The first 100 customers will receive gifts from the company. Shoppers will also be entered for $100 and $500 gift card drawings.