New Aldi for Westside

[TheCat]

By Karen Brune Mathis, Managing Editor

Aldi continues its expansion in Northeast Florida with plans for a West Jacksonville store at the site of a closed Golden Corral restaurant.
Site plans were filed for Aldi to develop a food market at 7043 Normandy Blvd., west of Interstate 295 and Memorial Park Road. The closed Golden Corral building will be removed. A new Golden Corral Buffet & Grill opened nearby last year.

The no-frills discount chain proposes to redevelop the 2.78-acre site with a food market of 18,850 square feet. Upham Inc. of Ormond Beach is the civil engineer and the developer is Aldi (Florida) LLC based in Haines City.

Aldi did not return an email for comment.

The grocer, whose U.S. base is Batavia, Ill., also was announced recently for the Town Center Promenade in Southside.

The Promenade is a mixed-use commercial, retail, apartment and hotel project along Town Center Parkway opposite St. Johns Town Center.

Aldi's Promenade store, at 17,825 square feet, is expected to open in spring 2017.

The grocer already operates three stores in Northeast Florida along Southside Boulevard in Jacksonville, in St. Augustine and in Middleburg.

It carries a limited selection of products with a focus on private label goods.

Based in Germany, Aldi operates more than 10,000 stores worldwide and 1,500 in 32 U.S. states, reaching more than 30 million customers a month in the U.S.

Brandchannel.com reported Aldi's U.S. business has grown to nearly $13 billion and could be on the way to $20 billion within five years as total stores increase to 2000 by the end of 2018.

Aldi reported in March that by the end of 2018, it will reach more than 45 million customers a month and create more than 10,000 jobs at its stores, warehouses and division offices.

It says it will invest more than $3 billion to pay for land, facilities and equipment.

Aldi was started by the same family that created Trader Joe's.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=547345

[fsujax]

Great news for that part of town.