Fast-growing convenience store chain opens at Beaufort retail center (and latest on Aldi)
A convenience store and food service giant in the Southeast — known for its hand-breaded southern fried chicken tenders and signature mac ‘n’ cheese — is one of the final stores to arrive at a new regional shopping hub that’s taking shape at a busy crossroads in Beaufort.
Savannah-based Parker’s Kitchen has opened its newest Beaufort County store in Beaufort Station, a 200,000 square-foot regional retail center on Robert Smalls Parkway at its intersection with Parris Island Gateway, across from Walmart. The shopping center is billed as the largest between Charleston and Savannah.
The Parker’s Kitchen opened Nov. 26 and its representatives are expected to present a $75,000 donation to the Beaufort County School District at a ribbon cutting Thursday.
Meanwhile, Hannah Burnett of The Morgan Companies, the developer of Beaufort Station, told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet on Wednesday that popular discount grocer Aldi, the shopping center’s anchor tenant, is scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2025, or between July or September. Ashley Brandon, a spokesperson for the city of Beaufort, said the city has issued building permits to Aldi and held a pre-construction conference, “so Aldi is ready for construction any time they want to start.”
Aldi, the Batavia, Ill.-based discount grocer that started in Germany, known for its convenience and discounted prices, is planning a 21,000-square-foot store as part of a major expansion in the southeast.
Surcheros Fresh Mex is opening at the end of January, while Lee Nails is set to open in March or April, The Morgan Company’s Burnett added.
Most of the other tenants in the 31-acre retail already are open for business including PetSmart, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Five Below, Rack Room Shoes, Hobby Lobby, Ross Dress for Less, Ulta Beauty and Old Navy. Restaurants Chicken Salad Chick and Panda Express and are part of the mix as well.
The Beaufort Station Parker’s Kitchen, also known for its egg casserole and breakfast biscuits and “chewy ice,” is the company’s 17th store in Beaufort County, 44th in South Carolina and 95th overall.
Founded in 1976, the company is in the midst of an ambitious growth plan that includes opening 100 new stores over the next four years, doubling the size of the company.
New markets include Myrtle Beach and Columbia and Jacksonville, Fla.
