Years after Aldi’s plans were first approved, construction finally underway in Bluffton

After years of questions, lawsuits and speculation about the location, an Aldi in Bluffton is starting to take shape.

Bright blue signs with the Aldi logo and “Coming Soon” are posted at the site currently undergoing renovation in the shopping center at U.S. 278 and Burnt Church Road.

The area is fenced off, but work is transforming the space first designed to be a Fresh Market into an Aldi supermarket. The entrance has been moved from the center to the right side of the facade, which now features a tower typical of Aldi locations.

Workers could be seen inside the cavernous space through the opening that will become the new entry.

Aldi corporate representatives did not respond to an email sent Wednesday morning asking for a specific opening date.

When the shopping center was first conceived in 2016, developer David Oliver and his company Jaz Management LLC announced that Fresh Market would be an anchor along with Hobby Lobby and PGA Superstore. At that time, the stores were slated to open in early 2017.

Fresh Market’s signature green-and-white striped awnings were installed outside the 21,000-square-foot space, but progress stalled. After a flurry of legal filings over the lease agreement between Fresh Market and Jaz Management in 2017, the deal fell through.

While Hobby Lobby, PGA Superstore, Aspen Dental and First Watch restaurant, along with other businesses, opened in the shopping center, the space that was supposed to be Fresh Market remained dark and incomplete.

Then, in 2018, Aldi and developer David Oliver appealed to the Beaufort County Design Review Board for permission to make changes to the exterior of the building.

The Design Review Board approved facade changes on June 7 of that year. County officials at the time said they were pleased with Aldi’s proposal and approved it with a few minor changes. However, the approval expired when Aldi did not act within a year.

During that time, Aldi opened stores in Pooler and Savannah.

Finally, the previously approved drawings were resubmitted to county staff on Aug. 31, 2021, and were again approved the following week, according to previous reporting in The Island Packet. Another round of minor changes submitted by an architect on the project were given a formal nod on Jan. 28.

In February, Aldi began advertising for a full-time assistant store manager and just days later confirmed that the Bluffton store was expected to open.

“Yes, we’re happy to confirm as a part of the newly announced 150 Aldi stores opening this year, we are planning to open our first store in Bluffton by year’s end,” Aldi Jefferson Division Vice President Shaun O’Keefe wrote in an email Feb. 9.

The following day, the city of Beaufort announced that an Aldi would be included in the new Beaufort Station development at the southwest corner of Robert Smalls Parkway and Parris Island Gateway.

The Batavia, Ill.-based discount grocer that started in Germany has about 2,000 stores in 36 states, according to its website. The company says it is on track to become the third-largest grocery retailer by store count by the end of 2022, trailing only Walmart and Kroger, according to foodindustry.com.

The retailer’s website lists 47 stores in South Carolina, but that list does not include either store announced in Beaufort County.

Aldi calls its stores “no-frills.” Grocery items, many of which are store brands, are displayed in their original shipping boxes to save money on restocking shelves. It charges a fee for paper and plastic bags and requires customers to bag their own groceries. Customers who need a shopping cart must use a quarter that they get back when they return the cart to its corral.