Downtown Jacksonville’s Harveys Supermarket is now one of at least nine potential Aldi conversions of former Southeastern Grocers stores in Northeast Florida.
A second St. Johns County Winn-Dixie store is another of those in review for becoming an Aldi discount grocer.
As for Downtown, the city of Jacksonville is reviewing a permit application to turn part of the Harveys at 777 N. Market St. into the smaller, streamlined format of Germany-based Aldi.
A Southeastern Grocers spokesperson said May 14 the store would close in late June for the conversion and employees have been notified.
No contractor is identified for the estimated $810,000 project that would build-out almost 25,000 square feet of the more than 31,000-square-foot supermarket for Aldi and leave the remaining almost 6,500 square feet of space for lease to another tenant.
The store was built in 1981 for Winn-Dixie, which later converted it into the Harveys banner.
APD Engineering & Architecture PLLC of Victor, New York, is the project engineer.
In St. Augustine, a second St. Johns County Winn-Dixie is identified for conversion into an Aldi.
The county is reviewing a permit application for its build-out at 181 Blackford Way in Shores Village Plaza.
It is a 37,728-square-foot space, which like other Southeastern Grocers stores is larger than the typical Aldi layout, indicating it could be divided for more than one tenant.
Interplan LLC of Altamonte Springs is the architect.
SEG said the store is remaining open with normal business operations but did not say for how long.
For both conversions, “SEG will continue to work diligently with Aldi to provide support and opportunities to each associate at converting stores, including having the first opportunity to apply to roles at newly converted Aldi stores or remain with Winn-Dixie and transfer to another store,” the spokesperson said.
They are among the nine identified potential Aldi conversions.
The first converted Aldi opened March 20 at 2261 Edgewood Ave. W. in Northwest Jacksonville in a former Harveys.
Aldi has taken steps to convert at least six more Winn-Dixie stores in Northeast Florida in the Brierwood, Fort Caroline and Girvin neighborhoods in Jacksonville in Duval County; in Fernandina Beach in Nassau County; in Fleming Island in Clay County; and in Grand Cypress Marketplace in St. Johns County.
In March 2024, Aldi bought Jacksonville-based Southeastern Grocers Inc., which operated about 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Aldi then started converting some stores to its banner.
In February 2025, a new company, Southeastern Grocers LLC, bought back 170 stores from Aldi. A February news release said Southeastern Grocers will continue to operate the remaining stores identified for conversion to Aldi until they are closed for the renovation.
In a previous statement about the Fernandina Beach Winn-Dixie store, a SEG spokesperson said all associates working there received official advance notice that their store is projected to close in late July to convert to an Aldi location.
“To ensure a smooth transition for our associates, SEG will continue working diligently with Aldi to provide support and opportunities to each associate at converting stores, including having the first opportunity to apply for roles at newly converted Aldi stores or remain with Winn-Dixie and transfer to another store.”
Aldi stores are up to about half the size of the Southeastern Grocers supermarkets that are being converted, which means landlords will have more space available for lease.
Aldi has about 2,400 U.S. stores and said the Southeastern Grocers acquisition was part of a plan to add 800 stores nationwide by 2028 through new openings and store conversions.
As of May 14, Aldi had at least 14 stores open in Northeast Florida, comprising nine in Jacksonville and five in Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties.