South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Five supermarkets, one mile
Aldi the newest chain to join Village Shoppes spot
“Take a look at Delray. We’re four miles wide, and where can you put a grocery store? Most of the places that you can put a grocery store, there’s already one there, and it’s probably called Publix.”
— Ryan Boylston, Delray Beach commissioner
DELRAY BEACH — A small stretch of Delray Beach has become a surprising new battleground for grocery stores fighting to lure nearby customers into their stores.
Four supermarket chains — Publix, Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s and The Fresh Market — all operate within a one-mile radius by Linton Boulevard and Federal Highway, giving residents a bevy of options to choose from. And if that wasn’t enough, a fifth grocer is planning to enter the crowded marketplace.
Aldi, a national discount supermarket chain, is planning to open a new location across the street from Whole Foods Market, which opened in 2020, at 541 Linton Blvd. in Delray Village Shoppes. The store would be built on a vacant piece of land behind a complex that includes Starbucks, Five Guys, Sage Dental and Tijuana Flats.
The vast array of offerings has been a hit for local residents, making the area a grocery haven.
“I mix around because they’re so conveniently located,” Delray Beach resident Jessie Bell said. “I hit up Publix on Wednesday and Tuesday for the [buy-one-get-onefree deals]. Fresh Market has really good great deals with family meals for $25. They have some nice things there, more artisanal products like Jamaican Hibiscus teas or a seasonal root vegetable.
“Whole Foods is a half-mile walking distance from my house so it’s almost too convenient to pick up fixings for dinner. Trader Joe’s is great for those cheater meals, frozen-prepped foods, so I genuinely enjoy having all four to choose from.”
In addition to the Aldi, the proposed 42,000-square foot building at Delray Village Shoppes would also include retail bays and restaurant space with outdoor seating. Representatives for Katz and Associates, which oversees leasing at the complex, could not be reached for comment.
“It seems to reflect how competitive this industry has become,” said Jeff Wells, an editor for Grocery Dive, which covers the national grocery industry. “There are a lot of different companies vying for grocery dollars these days. It’s not just conventional grocers like Publix anymore. Aldi is a great example of a recently reinvigorated discount grocer.
“A lot of really good real estate has been claimed, so when you have a really strong location where the demographics are strong and the traffic works in their favor, you can see a pile-up like this because they all think they can come in and win those customers, especially in an affluent, suburban area and that’s the type of customer they’re really going after these days.”
While competition is already fierce in the area, Delray Beach Commissioner Ryan Boylston noted that having a grocer in Delray Beach is “probably good for any brand” and with 98% of the city already built out, finding a large-enough piece of land can be a challenge.
“Take a look at Delray. We’re four miles wide, and where can you put a grocery store? Most of the places that you can put a grocery store, there’s already one there, and it’s probably called Publix,” Boylston said.
“So this Linton/Federal corridor, it’s one of the few locations in our city where you
would put a grocery store and have brand recognition.”
Aldi ‘nipping at the heels’ of established grocers
Aldi’s foray into East Delray is part of its rapid new expansion plan. The German company, which has been primarily known for its discount brands, announced in 2017 it would be spending more than $5 billion to renovate its existing stores and build new ones across the country.
In 2021, Aldi was the fastest-growing grocery chain, opening 88 new U.S. locations, according to the commercial real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle.
Aldi has about 2,100 stores nationwide and is expected have 2,300 by end of the year, Forbes reported in August. The national grocer also has another Delray Beach location just three miles west on Linton Boulevard by Military Trail.
Wells said a key focus with the $5 billion expansion was upgrading their stores to reach more affluent customers. Since then, Aldi has begun offering more natural and organic items, while still offering lower pricing.
“It makes total sense to me that they would go into an area [like Delray Beach] where you can peel off some of the Whole Foods and Publix shoppers because ‘We offer prices that are so much lower and we offer very good products and have a very good experience,’ ” Wells said. “They’re doing that in markets all over the country.
“They’re kind of nipping at the heels of the established grocers. They think they can come in and bring customers over to their offering and that’s what they’ve been doing.”
A growing hub for residents
The proposed Aldi comes amid a pair of potential new housing developments by Linton Boulevard and Federal Highway.
Across the street next to the Whole Foods Market, a 277-unit apartment complex has been approved and will begin construction in the future. And just north of Linton by Federal Highway, developers are considering adding at least three stories of apartments on top of the existing Publix.
The existing supermarket hub has been a boon for costumers, giving residents a plethora of offerings.
Delray Beach resident Andrew Blake said he’s visited most of the supermarkets in the area, but has honed in on one location, choosing to shop primarily at The Fresh Market instead of mixing and matching.
“It has a better selection of ready-to-eat items,” Blake said. It seems like the products are better, he said.
“Shopping for the groceries is more of a chore, so I want to be in-and-out and not go to too many places.”