Bottom Dollar's Belgium based parent company, Delhaize Group, has announced that it has signed an agreement to sell all of its locations in the U.S. to the German owned Aldi chain.

Delhaize says that it plans to keep all locations open as Bottom Dollar Food stores until the end of the year. After that time, Bottom Dollar Food will close the stores and stop using the Bottom Dollar name.

The news release does not say if there are any plans to convert the Bottom Dollar stores into Aldi stores.

Aldi issued a statement that acknowledged the purchase of the Bottom Dollar buildings and property. The statement does not include information about plans for the future of the local stores, but says that Aldi is in the early stages of accelerated strategic growth, and plans to open 650 new stores across the country, bringing its total number of US stores to nearly 2,000 by the end of 2018.

Aldi says the expansion is expected to create more than 10,000 new jobs at ALDI stores, warehouses and division offices across the country.

When plans for the Bottom Dollar stores were announced in 2010, city officials in Youngstown said they could help fill a void in some locations that are considered food deserts.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, food deserts are defined as urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. Instead of supermarkets and grocery stores, these communities may have no food access or are served only by fast food restaurants and convenience stores that offer few healthy, affordable food options.

Youngstown Mayor John McNally tells 21 News he most concerned about the Glenwood Avenue location where land was sold and cleared for construction of Bottom Dollar.

“I want that property back to protect that corridor. So we're going to be looking at some ways to try to see if we can have that property gifted back to us try to figure out if we can get another grocery store in there," said Mayor McNally.

Bottom Dollar has five locations in the area, including Mahoning Avenue, Glenwood Avenue, and Midlothian Boulevard in Youngstown, and one store on North Road in Warren. There is also a store in New Castle, Pa.

Bottom Dollar also operates 62 other stores in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia areas.

Aldi is operating seven stores in the area, including locations in Boardman, Youngstown, Austintown, Salem, Warren, East Liverpool and Hermitage.

According to a news release on the Delhaize website, the $15 million deal is expected to be completed by early next year. Delhaize, a food retailer serving 3,386 stores around the world, says it is selling the stores to focus on other aspects of its business.