[JustSomeGuy]

WD Leesburg closes 2/9/25.

Plans are to take half the current space and convert it to an Aldi. Other half will be leased to another business. Liquor store stays next to new Aldi. No word on if it will be branded Aldi or some other name. I have seen plans for store.

The other WD nearby not converting due to being too close to existing free standing Aldi's.

Aldi has a formula they are using to determine if store is converted, run as current banner or sold. Free standing Winn Dixies will mostly be sold or released to other businesses. WD's in strip malls that are vibrant or in growing areas will convert if not to close to another Aldi. WD's in dying strip malls are in trouble.

Seems this purchase was as much a chess move to prevent Lidl from expanding quickly as they reboot their efforts in the US as it was for Aldi to gain locations. As around the Villages, Aldi was well established in the WD foot print.... Lidl was non-existent and facing a choice of pulling out of the US or investing in their expansion outside of the mid-Atlantic/Atlanta areas. Cost of buying WD, converting some locations to Aldi and getting rid of the rest by sale, sub-lease or not renewing leases is cheaper than building new free standing locations in these areas from the ground up and defending against a new competitor.

Over half the Winn Dixie's will not be converted to Aldi stores. Aldi has no interest in running WD as an ongoing grocery chain long term. If they did, they would be keeping profitable locations under the Winn Dixie banner rather than converting them to Aldi stores. The stores not targeted for conversion are not viable enough to sustain a profitable Winn Dixie, which was barely making it with those locations open.

[Rainger99]

Originally Posted by JustSomeGuy

Seems this purchase was as much a chess move to prevent Lidl from expanding quickly as they reboot their efforts in the US as it was for Aldi to gain locations. As around the Villages, Aldi was well established in the WD foot print.... Lidl was non-existent and facing a choice of pulling out of the US or investing in their expansion outside of the mid-Atlantic/Atlanta areas

I would love to have a Lidl near Eastport! It would get almost every person south of Warm Springs!