Earthfare
 

I think a Trader Joe's, Sprouts or Wegman's would be fantastic in that spot.

Who is the Developer?

Trader Joe's would be perfect

Wegman's southern most store is in Raleigh, NC and it's the only store in North Carolina, but Virginia has several locations. They would be at a disadvantage for distribution and district management. In addition the Earth Fare that was under construction was to be 24,000 square feet, Wegmans are 75,000 to 140,000 square feet.

Trader Joe's average about 15,000 square feet, that would be an additonal 9,000 square feet they would have to sub-lease or figure out a use. Also they're owned by the same company as Aldis, there is one five miles north on 441, that might be a consideration or maybe the Lady Lake area is far enough away. They do cross over somewhat in shoppers. A larger Trader's Joe's makes a lot of sense since this area lacks any TJ's.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2...unds&auto=webp

"Neighborhood Walmart" totally different concept than Sam's Wholesale! More like the grocery section of a Super Walmart. Take a ride to check out the neighborhood Walmart opposite Colony shopping center.

From the Villages News February 3, 2020

The developer, the Benchmark Group of New York, was said to be surprised by Earth Fare’s sudden announcement. However, Benchmark has a long relationship with the town and had brought in a great deal of successful retailers, including Best Buy, Sam’s Club, SteinMart and Kohl’s, as well as restaurants, such as Longhorn Steakhouse, Texas Roadhouse and Sweet Tomatoes.

The mayor said these types of sudden closures are to be expected in the business world. But when one door closes, others can open, he said.

Villagers have long expressed their desire for a Trader Joe’s.
“That could be a great spot for Trader Joe’s,” he said.

Villagers for many years have been clamoring for a Trader Joe’s, which offers a “fresh format” grocery shopping experience.

Meanwhile, the news of the closures came as a shock to Earth Fare employees in Ocala.

“Earth Fare has been proud to serve the natural and organic grocery market, and the decision to begin the process of closing our stores was not entered into lightly,” the company said in a press release. “We’d like to thank our Team Members for their commitment and dedication to serving our customers, and our vendors and suppliers for their partnership.”

The company cited “financial stress” as the reason for shutting down.

“While many of these initiatives improved the business, continued challenges in the retail industry impeded the company’s progress as well as its ability to refinance its debt. As a result, Earth Fare is not in a financial position to continue to operate on a go forward basis,” the company explained in a release. “As such, we have made the difficult, but necessary decision to commence inventory liquidation sales while we continue to engage in a process to find potential suitors for our stores.”

Just an FYI to John W: Aldis and Trader Joes are not owned by the same company. They operate independently, one owned by Aldi Sud and one owned by Aldi Nord - two different companies. They started out as ONLY Aldi's, in Germany, with two brothers. But the brothers split up before Aldi's came to the USA (thus, Sud and Nord). Just a little summary of some dumb Trader Joe trivia :)

We go to Gainesville every three weeks. So TJs shopping is done. Up north we have 3 TJs within 15 miles. We shop weekly there. Just not a fan of Aldi

Who’s the mayor?

Google says...
The Lady Lake Mayor is Jim Richards, who is also the Commissioner. It is primarily a figurehead position.

When living in Atlanta, I would be at the Earth Fare several times a week until it closed. The Trader joe's was equidistant, and I went there a few times a year. Trader joe's has neither the produce nor the fresh meat and seafood to compare to Earth Fare. Never understood the cult following of Trader Joe's ..

"I would not expect a Neighborhood Walmart as the site is too close to the existing Walmart and Sam's"

We could sure use a Neighborhood Walmart down below CR44 near Fenney instead of
ANOTHER Publix.

:bigbow:

Meet the Albrechts, heirs to the Aldi and Trader Joe'''s empire - Business Insider

Trader Joe's and ALDI. Owned by a German company called Albrecht Discounts, ALDI is a discount grocery chain that started in Germany in 1948. ... Trader Joe's, although it may be based in Southern California, is actually owned by Albrecht Discounts.

But mustn't all of The Villages bow to the mighty Publix?

Trader Joe's equals Aldi, would vote for Whole Foods, Sprouts or Central Market.