Aldi Inc. will close its Avenues-area Southside Square store Nov. 26 for renovation as it invests nationally to remodel and expand its stores.
Matt Thon, Aldi Haines City Division vice president, said Tuesday the company would provide details later on the grand reopening, which has not been scheduled. He said Aldi intends to reopen the store in the winter.
The store at 9041 Southside Blvd. was the Germany-based discount chain’s first in Duval County and one of the first in the area when it opened in 2015.
Aldi wants to renovate the 21,089-square-foot grocery store at a cost of $900,000, plans show. It invested about $900,000 in converting the former Circle K Furniture store in 2015.
Aldi has been opening standalone stores as well as converting second-generation space within shopping centers, like at Southside Square.
Aldi has 11 confirmed sites in Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties. It opened its first area store in October 2014 in St. Augustine.
The chain operates seven stores in Duval, Clay and St. Johns and will open its eighth Oct. 4 in Mandarin at 10950-15 San Jose Blvd. in San Jose Plaza.
Three more are in review, including the first Aldi store for Nassau County. The other two are in Duval County in Southwest Jacksonville and in North Jacksonville at the Parkway Shops at River City Marketplace.
Area real estate director Jason Povlick said last year that several Aldi stores would open in the market over the next several years, but did not want to be specific about sites.
Aldi said it is one of the fastest-growing retailers in the country, operating more than 1,800 U.S. stores in 35 states.
It is investing $5.3 million in remodeling and new construction.
The company said it investing $1.9 billion to remodel more than 1,300 U.S. stores by the end of 2020.
It also said it is spending $3.4 billion to expand to 2,500 stores nationwide by the end of 2022.
Aldi focuses its new designs and remodels on open ceilings, natural lighting and what it calls environmentally friendly building materials.
Its new layout more strongly features fresh food, produce, dairy and baked goods.
The chain is known for its streamlined and house-brand selections and money-saving ways. Customers pay 25 cents to use a cart and get back the quarter when they return it, which cuts down on the supermarket needing to retrieve carts from the parking lot.
Customers also bag their groceries, eliminating the need for baggers.
Aldi also sells random items on purpose, it says. “A fleet of ALDI Finds, nearly 100 new and unique products each week, are available when our customers need them most, like rain boots in the spring or Dutch ovens near Thanksgiving.”