Aldi executive confirms discount grocer coming to Bluffton. Here’s when store will open
An Aldi executive has confirmed the discount grocer plans to open a store in Bluffton by the end of 2022.
“Yes, we’re happy to confirm as a part of the newly announced 150 Aldi stores opening this year, we are planning to open our first store in Bluffton by year’s end,” Aldi Jefferson Division Vice President Shaun O’Keefe said in an email Wednesday evening.
Aldi announced Tuesday it was planning an aggressive expansion in the Southeast over the next year. Specifics about locations in South Carolina were not included in the formal announcement.
But the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette reported on Wednesday the company posted a job listing on its website for a full-time assistant store manager for a new Bluffton store at 1131 Fording Island Road.
Chris Ophardt, public information officer for Beaufort County, told the newspapers that architectural changes to the facade of the vacant building in the shopping center with Hobby Lobby and PGA Superstore had been approved by the county as of Jan. 28.
Once Aldi gets a zoning permit, it will be clear to start construction, Ophardt said.
The 21,000-square-foot retail space in the shopping center at U.S. 278, known as Fording Island Road in Bluffton, and Burnt Church Road has been vacant since construction in 2016 and 2017.
Developer David Oliver and his company Jaz Bluffton LLC had announced in March 2016 that Fresh Market would be a tenant, and the upscale grocer’s trademark green and white awnings were installed. A lawsuit filed in May 2018 indicated the two parties were in dispute over the lease agreement for the space, and Fresh Market never opened.
Plans for an Aldi originally were approved by Beaufort County’s Design Review Board in June 2018, but they expired because the retailer did not act on them within a year.
Other South Carolina locations
O’Keefe would not say whether additional locations were being considered in the area.
On Thursday afternoon, the City of Beaufort posted on Facebook that an Aldi would be included in the new Beaufort Station development at the southwest corner of Robert Smalls Parkway and Parris Island Gateway
Currently, the closest Aldi to Beaufort County is a 22,399-square-foot store in Pooler that opened in October 2019.
A new Aldi in Goose Creek, S.C., is expected to open in March. It will be the fifth Aldi location in the Charleston area, joining two in Summerville, one in North Charleston and one in Mount Pleasant.
“At this time, we do not have any information to share about any additional stores opening in South Carolina this year,” O’Keefe said.
The Batavia, Ill.-based discount grocer that started in Germany has about 2,000 stores in 36 states, according to its website. The company says it is on track to become the third-largest grocery retailer by store count by the end of 2022, trailing only Walmart and Kroger, according to foodindustry.com.
Several factors are considered when choosing store locations, O’Keefe said. “Bottom line, we look for convenient locations for our customers that can support a high traffic volume daily.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 12:59 PM.
