Lake Wales Area Grocery Choices Shrink as Winn-Dixie to be Converted to Second Aldi

The Lake Wales market area will be losing yet another grocery option in November as the Winn-Dixie store on SR 60 East is closed to be converted to a second Aldi location. The move comes less than a year after the store was completely remodeled and updated with new products.

Robert Connors

The Lake Wales Winn-Dixie store on SR 60 East will be closed effective November 17 so that construction crews can divide the store into two smaller units, one of which will become the city's second Aldi location. The move reduces the area's grocery option to only four choices.

The Lake Wales location is the latest to be converted to Aldi, and employees have been notified that they will be laid off effective November 17. Some of them had only recently been transferred to the Lake Wales store after store closings in other communities.

"I'm job hunting," one long-time employee told Lake Wales News. "They told me I could apply to go to work for Aldi after it's converted." An existing Aldi location on US 27 North across from Eagle Ridge Mall will remain open.

The Aldi chain operates more than 12,000 grocery stores in multiple countries around the world. The company purchased Winn-Dixie owner Southeast Grocers last year and has been steadily converting them to the standard Aldi format.

"We sure could use more options here," one shopper responded when told of the change, "not fewer. How about a Fresh Market ?" Discount grocery chain Save-a-Lot also operates in Lake Wales, along with a Walmart grocery and two Publix supermarkets. The city formerly hosted a Kash'n'Karry and a Food Lion store, but both were closed years ago after Food Lion bought the rival chain and then fell on hard times.

The current 40,000+ square-foot Winn-Dixie location is too large for the Aldi format, which offers limited brands and fewer consumer choices. According to sources, the store will be divided and a portion offered for lease.

An Aldi representative, Corporate Affairs Account Supervisor Maeve Zolkowski, told Lake Wales News that "we recognize that converting some SEG locations to the ALDI format will impact employees at those locations. It is our goal to hire as many Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket employees as possible from converted stores to ALDI. We remain committed to doing our best to minimize impact and provide support and opportunities for employees at converted stores.  "

Robert Connors

"We don't know why you say hello, we say goodbye..." The recently-remodeled and attractive Winn-Dixie store in Lake Wales will soon be a thing of the past as owner Aldi is converting the store to a second Aldi grocery store. The discount choin offers low prices but limited brand selections, eliminating most popular brands from the shelves.

"Those impacted by store conversions will have the opportunity to be the first to apply to newly converted ALDI stores," Zolkowski said. "In addition, ALDI is committed to doing its best to minimize that impact and provide support and opportunities to employees at converting stores, including the potential alternative option to remain with SEG and transfer to a neighboring SEG store.  Eligible employees who are not transferred or do not get hired at a converted ALDI store will be provided career development and training support, as well as severance packages. "

Editors' Note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Aldi does not own the Trader Joe's grocery chain, as previously reported. We apologize for that error.