Loss of Supermarket at Lake Sumter Landing
 

I miss the Supermarket at Lake Sumter. One of the advantages of Living in the Lake Sumter area of the Villages has been the Supermarket. Most of the Village food markets are located on the major roads. Lake Sumter was fortunate to have a real market since 2006.

The ALDI procurement and decision to close Winn Dixie in favor of an Aldi store a year later leaves us with a gap. It also leaves us with something less than a true supermarket. No Deli, no butchers, no produce manager, bakery. It is likely that ALDI has determined that their decision will be economically correct.

Whenever ALDI opens, we will have lower prices, but a limited choice of brands. Meats and cheeses all prepackaged. The ALDI model has no specialty careers but rather a crew of multi tasked employees they can bounce around to operate cash registers, shelf stocking, floor washing, toilet cleaning, trash removal etc. It basically a box store.

They can't even get types of potato chips in the right box. Went to an ALDI on 441 today for a container of No Fat milk. None available. No 1%. Had to settle for 2%. I don't think anyone there cares. They just said they get what they get.

I go to ALDI for some items such as milk, oranges , bananas etc. Certainly not for no name cold cuts or cut cheese in a plastic sealed pack.

I personally think that stores like ALDI are great for a major hi-way but I will miss the supermarket at Lake Sumter.

I would sometimes go there after donating blood when a big red bus with One Blood on it was parked there. Or, after seeing a movie at the Old Mill Playhouse.

I will miss a lot of the Winn-Dixie offerings.

Winn Dixie is still open at Pinellas Plaza. I guess since an existing Aldi's is just down the street (Trailwinds on 466A), they aren't converting and will keep the store in Pinellas Plaza a Winn Dixie for now.

I agree with OP the loss of a true grocery to Aldi wouldn’t fit our grocery needs, even for a quick necessity.

Then again anyone remember Sweetbay in LSL, until it was bought by WD? I loved that store staff was knowledgeable, great deli, well stocked.

Now LSL gets to shop out of a cardboard box. My guess is Kroger trucks will be far more prominent around LSL.
I am confused why would anyone buy salmon from Aldi, when Fresh Market has better quality in the same price range.

Perhaps Winn Dixie's decision could have had to do with the rent charged by The Villages. Wouldn't be the first time that happened.

Oh the horror of living in a third world community....having to go 4 miles further for more "upscale" grocery shopping. And my Publix was also out of 1% milk this week the one day I was there. I actually had to make a separate trip the following day to get milk. Such a tough life.

I have been disappointed with the limited selection there, and when I shop Aldi, I have to make a second stop at Publix to buy what I couldn’t find at Aldi.

Aldis
 

One correction to a post. Employees no longer multi task. If you want to be hired just for checkout, that will be your job. Unloading trucks, stocking another career path.

My father used to say "I've seen a lot of changes in my life and I've been against every damn one of them".

I do miss Sweetbay. The sign and store were very cool.

We are very lucky to have so many grocery choices. Good, bad and indifferent.

A tired excuse for many that could not make it work.

The rent was/is known up front when the decision is/was made to open in the first place.

Convenient dodge!

Convenient doge or unfortunate reality or the reason for empty storefronts?

In any case, some Winn Dixies are changing to Aldis both inside and outside the Villages. Some Winn Dixies are remaining Winn Dixies both inside and outside the Villages. It doesn't seem like the Villages has anything at all to do with this decision.

What will be interesting to see is whether Aldis survives at Lake Sumter. With two stores outside the Villages and soon to be one within, will golf cart accessibility outweigh the higher rent?

Win-Dixies was sold. Nothing to do with The Villages.

A 920 store chain filed for bankruptcy. Poor sales, sliding credit rating, pressure from vendors to be paid, etc.

Winn Dixie was not exactly making money store wide and suspect the one in LSL was a loser especially when the developer got his cut.

That store had been open a long time. Perhaps the rent increased to the point it was no longer profitable.
But isn't the W-D in Pinellas Plaza on TV property also?

Yes on TV Property...............but it's easy to blame The Developer, greed, etc.

:sing:

The Landlord doesn't "get a cut", he gets his RENT, which in the retail industry, is typically partly based on sales volume.

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then does it really make a difference if you name it an Anas platyrhynchos or call it common?

I could be wrong, but I don't think a large grocery store goes bankrupt because of the rent. The rent is pocket change compared to their other expenses and revenue.

In the lease the landlord gets a percentage which I called his cut. Very common but in a low margin business can mean the difference between making or losing money.

I do not blame the developer at all it is just smart business.

Kind of like those of us who worked for a living, except we "got our cut" every 2 weeks.

Grocery store negotiate rent for very long term. The annual increases are known years in advance. No grocery store is making operating decisions in 3 year increments.

And BTW, Winn Dixie was sold - the buyer is replacing a Winn Dixie with a Aldi.

My exact thoughts; such an unfair world for some here in TV.

My understanding is Aldis bought out Winn Dixie completely. Winn Dixie stores will be closing throughout Florida. The Village's store is simply one of many.

Just one answer among many, but I can tell you my reason for buying salmon at Aldi. We are very picky so we don't eat salmon out (usually), and Aldi is the one place we can get NON POND RAISED, non Atlantic, USA Alaskan wild sockeye caught in season at a reasonable (not inexpensive but reasonable cost). We have and do order whole copper river salmon at Fresh market when available. Personally don't believe anyone can come close to quality of Aldi's produce, nor beat their prices. To each their own, at least we have many many choices here, something to please everyone hopefully,

Aldis bought Winn Dixie. *SOME* Winn Dixie stores will be changing to Aldis and others will remain Winn Dixie. Easy to Google.

I know there are differences between one market to another, Aldi is not Publix, Publix is not Winn Dixie, Winn Dixie is not Sams Club and so on, but there are so many to choose from it almost a joke.
I live off 466A, If I leave my house and turn the right Publix is 5 minutes away.
If I turn to the left, I have Aldi, Winn Dixie and another Publix about 5 minutes away.
I think this is much to do about nothing.

I can’t wait for Aldi’s to open! Love not having to drive the car.

Honestly do you buy Everything at Aldi? Never enter a grocery because Aldi has all of your grocery needs?

The loss of a grocery for some isn’t an issue because they can drive elsewhere. However there are some TV residents, who are cart bond, easily get lost due to unfamiliar surroundings.
The loss of WD will be a very big deal to them.

My understanding is the Developer gets a cut of the profits as well as rent.

Aldi is a grocery.

I don't buy everything at any one store. Each of the stores I go to have something unique that I like. I haven't paid enough attention to Aldi to know if I could live with that as my only store.

For some that are cart bound, having an Aldi that is golf cart accessible will be a very big deal to them.

Agree

Wrong understanding.

I agree. There are about 10 Publix stores in The Villages area, and each one has gross sales of about $40 million per year. I would be very surprised if they are sharing any of this revenue with the landlord. It would make a lot more sense for them to buy land and build their own stores. In the north, Giant builds their own stores and even owns their own construction company. These large stores may have a landlord, but they certainly don't need one.

Of the five Publix closest to me, four are on land owned by companies with addresses in Sumter Landing or Brownwood. The fifth, Trailwinds, is on land owned by a company out of Tampa.

I am not about to look up every company that is golf-cart accessible, but it appears to be the rare case (CostCo might be one) where the Villages sells the land rather than leases it.

As far as sharing profits - percentage rent appears to be not uncommon for retail leasing. I would be surprised to learn it wasn't used by the Villages.

If used, TV does a percent of revenues, not profits.
(as does most landlords)
Profits can be manipulated.

Retail Leasing "rent" typically includes 4 components, fixed rent, CAM, taxes and % of revenue above base.

Fixed Rent is usually a price per square foot.

CAM = Common Area Maintenance charges.

Taxes = proportionate share of property taxes.

% above base = The Lessor typically gets a small percentage of the gross revenue, after a "base" number (1% of revenue after $5M, or whatever it may be).

I agree, but there is a huge difference between leasing to a small gift shop and to a large grocery store, like Publix. In The Villages, the developer needs Publix more than Publix needs the developer.

Aren’t we kinda in 3rd world county? :thumbup: