Publix and Aldi negotiating to buy some Lucky’s Market sites in Florida

Lucky’s Market said it’s in talks to sell 11 of its stores to Aldi and Publix — and most are in Florida.

Aldi, a German discount grocery chain, and Floridabased

Publix will lease five stores apiece, Lucky’s Market announced Tuesday. Aldi is also looking to buy one of Lucky’s locations.

Publix confirmed to the Miami Herald that it’s under contract to acquire the leases of Lucky’s stores in Orlando, Clermont, Ormond Beach, Naples, and Neptune Beach. Aldi said it’s acquiring several locations in Florida but did not give details.

It’s still unclear what Publix’s plans are for the Lucky’s Market locations, but it’s possible that the company will choose to use the space for its GreenWise Market stores, which focus on natural and organic products and are typically smaller than a traditional Publix store.

GreenWise Market is Publix’s version of Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods and is the same size as the Lucky’s Market in Ormond Beach, according to the Daytona Beach NewsJournal. A Publix spokeswoman told the publication she could not give any additional details about Publix’s plans for the space and said the company does “not speculate on potential locations for GreenWise Markets.”

The news comes a week after Lucky’s Market, an organic, lower-cost grocery chain, began “deep” going-out-of-business sales in 32 stores.

Twenty-one of those stores are in Florida and are expected to close by Feb. 12. Three are in Broward County. Only one — in West Melbourne — will remain open in the state. Several new stores in the process of opening also will be shutting down.

The negotiations were announced at the same time Lucky’s decided to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Lucky’s said it should have enough money to “meet its financial obligations, including those to its employees, as well as to vendors for the continued supply of product to its operating locations.”

Besides the store in West Melbourne, Lucky’s said seven stores combined would remain open in Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, and Colorado. But documents filed in Delaware’s federal bankruptcy court Monday show the company is also planning to sell those stores, according to the Sun Sentinel.

Lucky’s agreements with Aldi and Publix are not final. They are subject to court approval and the bidding process.

Michelle Marchante: 305-376-2708, @TweetMichelleM

CARLINE JEAN South Florida Sun Sentinel Lucky’s Market is closing nearly all of its 21 Florida stores, including this location in Oakland Park and two others that are also in Broward County.