Aldi to replace empty Lucky’s in Cape Coral

A half-built eyesore in Cape Coral will soon have a new look.

The space at Veterans Parkway and Santa Barbara Boulevard was supposed to be occupied by Lucky’s Market, but instead, Aldi will take over the location.

When Angela Dwire found out Lucky’s was coming to the Cape, she jumped for joy.

“Finding out that was coming, hopes up, hopes up, waiting, waiting…disappointment,” she said, talking about how Lucky’s announced last year it was pulling out of Florida.

That left the Cape Coral location an unfinished shell, with walls up and a roof, but nothing else.

“The developer Dan Creighton who has developed that Wawa, the medical or dental facility and was looking for a Lucky’s, landed a deal with Aldi,” said Ricardo Noguera, economic development manager with the City of Cape Coral.

If all goes well, Aldi, the German grocery store that offers goods at affordable prices, will see its fourth store open up in Southwest Florida’s largest city.

Noguera said he’s not surprised the grocery chain keeps expanding in the Cape.

“It demonstrates that we continue to have a growing European influence here in Cape Coral— more Germans and other Scandinavians and Europeans that are moving here. I think Aldi, which is a German grocer, is looking at that closely and taking advantage of that demographic,” he said.

“I like that it’s a store I like, but sad that it’s not gonna be Lucky’s … but it’s better than sitting empty,” Dwire said.

And it brings just one more grocery option to Cape Coral.

No timeline has been given on when that Aldi location will open.