Aldi expanding stores, replacing two Bay County Winn Dixie supermarkets

BAY COUNTY, Fla. ( WMBB ) – The Winn Dixie stores on West 23rd Street in St. Andrews, and Front Beach Road in Panama City Beach, are temporarily closed for renovations. When they reopen, it’ll be under an Aldi sign.

“There’s a lot that a grocery store really brings to a community, so there’s a little bit of loss there. But also there’s a lot of people that are excited about having a new option,” Panama City Commissioner Josh Street said.

Earlier this year, Aldi’s bought Southern Grocers which owned Winn Dixie and Harveys supermarkets. Aldi’s officials said the conversion is in an effort to expand the company and serve the community.

Panama City officials said the smaller supermarket won’t take up much space, potentially leaving floor space for other businesses.

“What we have seen around the state on the ones that have already gone, they also bring in another tenant. There’s a place in Jacksonville that has a Kohl’s with it, so we really don’t know what’s going to be adjacent to the Aldi’s or if it’s just going to be a super large Aldi’s,” Street said.

It’s unclear how many Winn Dixie’s will be converted to Aldi’s stores, but company officials said many will remain open.

Aldi also provided a statement, saying:

“Associates at these locations have the opportunity to be the first to apply to newly converted ALDI stores. In addition, ALDI is committed to doing its best to minimize the impact and provide support and opportunities to associates at converting stores, including the option to remain with Winn-Dixie and transfer to a neighboring store.”

While some customers may be upset about the change, Panama City officials seem to be taking a “glass half-full” approach.

“Let’s look forward to what we’re going to have in the community. Hopefully, we’ll see more growth to come. Maybe this puts Winn-Dixie in a position that they can open a new store somewhere else in the area,” Street said.

Those 2 new Aldi stores are projected to open next year.

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