New retailer planned for Eagan's vacant Amazon grocery store

A vacant Eagan grocery store, reportedly built for Amazon before the company scrapped plans to bring its Amazon Fresh concept to the Twin Cities , could open as a tools and equipment store in 2025.

Acme Tools is looking to occupy nearly all of the 34,500-square-foot building near the intersection of Yankee Doodle Road and Denmark Avenue, according to plans submitted to the city.

The North Dakota-based retailer, founded in 1948, specializes in power tools, outdoor power equipment and tool accessories.

“The new store will feature a spacious showroom, a well-stocked warehouse, a dedicated service department, and office space,” JLG Architects wrote in an application letter to city official in June.

The proposed Eagan store could become Acme Tools' fourth Minnesota location, joining existing stores in Bemidji, Duluth and Plymouth .

Acme Tools' proposal is the latest development in a years-long chain of events surrounding the rumored Amazon Fresh grocery stores in the Twin Cities, which never came to fruition.

The unnamed grocery stores were approved and constructed in Eagan, Eden Prairie, Arden Hills, Lakeville, Coon Rapids and Burnsville, with Axios Twin Cities reportedly confirming Amazon was behind the developments.

Sublease listings at all six properties went live last year, around three months after Amazon executives told investors the company would reevaluate how to deliver its Amazon Fresh shopping experience to customers.

Executives at the time said the company would close some Amazon Fresh stores with low growth potential and pause plans to expand the concept .

The Eagan Planning Commission is set to hold a public hearing and make a recommendation Tuesday regarding Acme Tools' proposal.

If subsequently approved by the Eagan City Council, the store is planned to open sometime during the first quarter of 2025.

Related: We went to 12 Twin Cities grocery stores to find the cheapest