Southeastern Grocers said July 11 that conversion plans are being finalized to convert the Harveys Supermarket in Edgewood Square into an Aldi store.
“Transparency and timely notification are top priorities for both ALDI and SEG leadership,” said Meredith Hurley, Southeastern Grocers senior director of communications and community, in an emailed statement.
She said the Harveys Supermarket at 2261 Edgewood Ave. will convert to a new Aldi store “to best support the Jacksonville community.”
“During conversion planning, a preliminary piece of the process for ALDI is to begin filing building permits. As we work through this transition period, conversion plans are still being finalized and we will share more information as it becomes available,” she said.
Hurley said that to ensure a smooth transition for associates, Southeastern Grocers will continue working 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 Harveys Supermarket and transfer to a neighboring store.”
She provided no details on the time line for the conversion.
Four months after completing the purchase of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets, Aldi is converting its first Northeast Florida store.
Southeastern Grocers responded to questions about the city’s review of building plans to convert the Harveys at 2261 Edgewood Ave. W. in Northwest Jacksonville into a 21,839-square-foot Aldi store at an estimated project cost of $1.7 million.
Harveys operated in a 46,189-square-foot space. Aldi stores are smaller than the Harveys and Winn-Dixie supermarkets.
T.D. Farrell Construction Inc. of Alpharetta, Georgia, is the contractor. Interplan LLC of Altamonte Springs is the architect and civil engineer. Codes-ABC Inc. of Orange Park is handling code compliance.
Jacksonville-based Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of Winn-Dixie and Harveys, announced an agreement Aug. 16 to sell the company to German supermarket operator Aldi, whose U.S. headquarters are in Batavia, Illinois.
Southeastern Grocers said it would sell about 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys supermarkets in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi to Aldi.
Aldi said March 7 it completed the acquisition and would convert some of the 400 stores beginning in the second half of 2024.
Aldi said about 50 Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores would begin the conversion process in late 2024 and reopen as Aldi stores in 2025.
It said it intended for “a meaningful amount of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets to continue to operate under their current banners.”
Aldi has about 2,400 U.S. stores and said the Southeastern Grocers acquisition is part of a plan to add 800 stores nationwide by 2028 through new openings and store conversions. Aldi has at least 13 stores in Northeast Florida, comprising eight in Jacksonville and five in Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties.