Shores Fine Wine & Spirits plans to open a store in the Grand Cypress shopping center in St. Johns County where Winn-Dixie previously operated, owner Reekee Patel said Aug. 25.
The Shores is part of the changes coming to the building at 100 Little Cypress Drive as grocer Aldi prepares the space for its brand.
Grand Cypress is near Nocatee at southwest U.S. 1 and Race Track Road.
The building, which housed a 41,525-square-foot Winn-Dixie and an affiliated 2,088-square-foot separate liquor store, is planned to be divided into three units, according to a service availability request with city-owned utility JEA. The request means the project is being explored and does not mean a deal is done or in negotiation.
Aldi was confirmed for the site when it was issued a sign permit April 16 by the county. The JEA application said Shores Liquor is the second planned tenant in the building, but did not specify the third potential business.
Patel said he did not know of the third tenant’s identity or if one has come forward.
Patel said his store, which will lease its space, will be just under 8,000 square feet and is planned as “a destination.” It will include a tasting room similar to the newer stores in the Shores company portfolio.
Patel said there are 19 area Shores, with the newest opening in Palm Valley in July.
He said three more are planned.
A Shores in the Beachwalk community will open in early September. An Oakleaf location is targeting a December opening and a store in the Girvin area of East Arlington is planned for July of next year.
The Aldi project is farther along than the Shores development. In addition to its sign permit, a build-out permit was issued June 24 at a cost of $810,000. According to the permit, the store will be 20,876 square feet.
WH Bass of Johns Creek, Georgia, is the contractor. Lykes Bros. of Tampa owns the property.
Aldi bought Jacksonville-based Southeastern Grocers Inc., which operated about 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi as of March 7, 2024. The company said it plans to convert about 220 of those locations to its brand by 2027.
In 2025, a group led by former Southeastern Grocers LLC CEO Anthony Hucker bought 170 of stores back from Aldi and said it would continue to operate others targeted for an Aldi conversion until they close for construction.
Germany-based Aldi operated 13 stores in Northeast Florida before the purchase of Southeastern. Through its conversion of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets, it now has 14 stores and 12 more in the works in the area.