Aldi grocery opens

A line of shoppers formed outside the new Aldi grocery store in advance of its opening Thursday morning.

Located at the southeast corner of U.S. 131 and Broadway Road in front of Home Depot, the new Aldi is the 61st in Michigan.

Company officials said about 95 percent of the 1,400 items inside the 10,000-square-foot store are store-label brands. District manager Ryan Smith said the company’s real estate department chose Three Rivers as the location of its first store in St. Joseph County based on demographics, traffic counts and other factors.

The Three Rivers store, which is staging a two-week, grand-opening special, employs 12 people.