The city issued a permit April 2 for conversion of a Westside Winn-Dixie into an Aldi discount grocer.
M.E. Construction Inc. of Melbourne is the contractor for the $1.96 million tenant build-out at 703 Chaffee Road S. at southeast Interstate 10 and Chaffee Road in West Jacksonville.
The German-based Aldi, a no-frills grocer with U.S. headquarters in Illinois, wants to split the 47,175-square-foot Winn-Dixie into a smaller space for Aldi.
The Winn-Dixie will close within weeks.
"We can confirm the Winn-Dixie store located at 703 Chaffee Road in Jacksonville will close in late April to begin its conversion to an ALDI store," said Meredith Hurley, Winn-Dixie senior director of communications and community, in an emailed statement April 3.
"All associates at this location received advance notice, and Winn-Dixie is working closely with ALDI to support a smooth transition. Associates will have the first opportunity to apply for roles at the new ALDI store. We appreciate the continued support of our valued associates, loyal customers and communities throughout this process," she said.
Aldi intends to lease 23,522 square feet of the building, leaving 23,653 square feet of residual space for another tenant.
ADP Engineering & Architecture PLLC of Victor, New York, is the architect. Esrog Realty LLC of New York City is the landlord.
Jacksonville-based Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. built the store in 1999 and sold it in 2001, leasing it back.
Winn-Dixie’s parent company is now The Winn-Dixie Company LLC.
Based on info.aldi.us/stores, Aldi’s 24 stores in Northeast Florida are rivaling Winn-Dixie. At least four more have been identified or are in development for conversion,
Winn-Dixie.com shows 24 stores in Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties, including three liquor stores, as well as the Chaffee supermarket. Two Harveys stores are being converted into Winn-Dixies, which takes the total to 25 when the Chaffee Road location is removed.
Aldi is more than doubling its presence in Northeast Florida after its March 2024 acquisition of 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi from Jacksonville-based Southeastern Grocers Inc.
Less than a year later, in February 2025, a consortium of private investors – led by Southeastern CEO Anthony Hucker – acquired Southeastern Grocers in a deal that included about 170 Winn-Dixie stores in those five states, along with the chain’s liquor store business.
Aldi kept about 220 of the stores and has been transforming them to its brand.
Southeastern Grocers, since renamed The Winn-Dixie Company LLC, said Oct. 21, 2025, it was shedding most of its stores outside Florida to focus on its home state. It retains some supermarkets in South Georgia.
Hurley said April 3 that Winn-Dixie "remains deeply committed to serving communities across Florida and southern Georgia as The Winn-Dixie Company continues uniting its organization and stores under the name generations of families know and trust."
She said the company will continue operating about 130 grocery stores across these markets, "with a renewed focus on long-term growth and delivering the quality, service and value that have defined Winn-Dixie for more than a century."
Aldi said the Southeastern Grocers acquisition was part of a plan to add 800 stores nationwide by 2028 through new openings and store conversions.
The company said Jan. 12, 2026, that it plans to open more than 180 stores by the end of 2026, including expansion into Colorado. Its goal is 3,200 stores by the end of 2028.