ALDI has released its plan for a major makeover of The Villages’ first supermarket.
This week, a building permit was approved by the Town of Lady Lake Building Department for the new ALDI retail grocery store going in at the Winn-Dixie location at 944 Bichara Blvd. at La Plaza Grande.
Drawings seem to indicate that the exterior facade will remain in keeping with the Spanish-theme that dates back many years in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown. Of course, an ALDI sign will replace the Winn-Dixie lettering.
However, the interior of the store will be completely revamped in keeping with the style established by ALDI, a grocer synonymous with low prices.
The building is 46,400 square feet. The ALDI store will be using 22,544 square feet and a “future tenant” will be taking over 23,856 square feet. The identity of the “future tenant” has not been revealed.
A start date for the ALDI conversion has not been announced.
Recently, signs announcing that all merchandise has been marked down to “clearance” have gone up at the Winn-Dixie, indicating that The Villages’ first grocery store’s days of operation are clearly numbered.
In July, the new ALDI opened its doors at Lake Sumter Landing, after the closure and conversion of that Winn-Dixie store.
There has been no announcement about the conversion of the Winn-Dixie store at Pinellas Plaza, which is also destined to be converted to an ALDI supermarket.