Aldi sets its sights on vacant Hilton Head property for new grocery store. What we know

Aldi has taken a step forward in its plans to open on Hilton Head Island.

A construction representative and a civil engineer representing Aldi appeared at a recent Town of Hilton Head pre-application meeting to discuss the possibilities of building a new store at 80 Matthews Drive in Sea Turtle Marketplace.

The lot where the store would be located, next to Golf Galaxy, is currently vacant.

The Batavia, Ill.-based discount grocer that started in Germany is known for it’s “no-frills” approach to keep prices low.

In January 2023, Aldi opened along U.S. 278 in Bluffton. Last month, another location was approved by Beaufort’s planning commission to start construction in Beaufort Station, a massive shopping center at the heavily trafficked intersection of Robert Smalls Parkway and Parris Island Gateway.

Hilton Head project manager Alexis Cook confirmed that Aldi representatives attended the meeting on March 4.

“They asked questions on the application process and procedures, but did not define a specific timeframe on which they may apply,” Cook said in a text message.

The next step for the grocer would be to meet with town officials to review existing trees on the site, Cook wrote.

On Feb. 5, The Providence Group, which manages leasing for Sea Turtle Marketplace, announced on Facebook that it had signed two new tenants, Aldi Grocery and Fidelity Investments, for the shopping center.

Since then, signs also have gone up for a Homesense store in the space formerly occupied by Stein Mart, which filed Chapter 11 reorganization and went out of business in 2020.

Current owner Greenberg Gibbons purchased the 100,000-square-foot shopping center in 2022. A map of Sea Turtle Marketplace on the Greenberg Gibbons website indicates the vacant parcel is around three acres.