Winn-Dixie Is Returning to Eustis With a New Store Planned for Plaza Drive
The Winn-Dixie Company confirmed the Eustis expansion on Aug. 21, 2026. While the company's return is confirmed, several details — including an opening date — have not yet been announced.
THE LCN BREAKDOWN
WHAT HAPPENED
Winn-Dixie confirmed plans on Aug. 21, 2026, to return to Eustis. Lease information reported by Inside Lake identifies the former Big Lots at 401 Plaza Drive as the planned location and includes a liquor store.
WHY IT MATTERS
Winn-Dixie's former Eustis location has become an ALDI. The new project would bring Winn-Dixie back at a different location, giving Eustis both grocery brands and adding another option for local shoppers.
WHO IT AFFECTS
The development primarily affects Eustis-area shoppers, along with nearby businesses, grocery competitors and potential future employees.
WHAT CHANGES
The former Winn-Dixie at 1955 N. State Road 19 is now ALDI. Winn-Dixie's new Eustis store is instead planned for the former Big Lots at 401 Plaza Drive.
WHAT'S NEXT
There is no announced opening date yet. LCN will continue tracking permitting, construction, hiring, store details and the eventual opening timeline.
FULL LCN REPORT
LCN Report
Winn-Dixie is planning a return to Eustis, establishing a new grocery store in the city shortly after its former location reopened under the ALDI name.
Here is what Lake County residents need to know.
WHAT HAPPENED
Winn-Dixie is returning to Eustis with plans for a new grocery store.
The Winn-Dixie Company confirmed the planned Eustis location on Aug. 21 as part of the grocer's renewed investment in Florida.
Lease information first reported by Inside Lake identifies the planned location as 401 Plaza Drive, in the former Big Lots space. The reported lease also includes plans for a Winn-Dixie liquor store.
The property is currently being temporarily used by Spirit Halloween.
Winn-Dixie has not announced when construction or renovations will begin, and an opening date has not been released.
The announcement is notable because Winn-Dixie's previous Eustis location recently became an ALDI, meaning the company isn't simply reopening its former supermarket. It is planning a return to Eustis at a different property.
WHY IT MATTERS
The announcement represents another significant change in Eustis' grocery market — and a reversal of what residents might reasonably have viewed as Winn-Dixie's departure from the city.
Winn-Dixie's former store at 1955 N. State Road 19 was among the locations selected for conversion following ALDI's acquisition of Winn-Dixie's former parent company, Southeastern Grocers.
That location reopened as an ALDI on Aug. 20.
Just one day later, Winn-Dixie's plans for another Eustis location were publicly confirmed.
If the Plaza Drive project moves forward as planned, Eustis will therefore have both an ALDI operating from the former Winn-Dixie property and a newly established Winn-Dixie elsewhere in the city.
For consumers, that would add another established grocery option to the local market. It could also create additional competition for grocery spending in and around Eustis.
The project is also part of a larger change taking place within Winn-Dixie itself.
Southeastern Grocers became The Winn-Dixie Company in January 2026, putting the Winn-Dixie name at the center of the company's future strategy. The company has been investing in remodels, new stores and the conversion of remaining Harveys Supermarket locations to the Winn-Dixie banner.
The planned Eustis store places Lake County within that renewed Florida expansion.
WHO IT AFFECTS
The most immediate impact will be on Eustis residents and shoppers in surrounding communities who use the city's grocery and retail corridors.
For former Winn-Dixie customers, the announcement means the brand is expected to remain an option in Eustis despite the conversion of its previous store.
The development may also affect other grocery retailers serving the Eustis area. A new supermarket introduces another competitor for customers, employees and grocery spending, although the effect on individual businesses cannot yet be determined.
The project could eventually create employment opportunities as well. However, Winn-Dixie has not yet announced hiring plans or the number of positions expected at the new store.
Businesses surrounding Plaza Drive could also see changes in customer traffic once the supermarket opens, particularly because grocery stores can generate recurring visits to a shopping center.
Those effects will become clearer as more information about the store and its opening timeline is released.
WHAT CHANGES
The biggest change is where Winn-Dixie will operate in Eustis.
The company's former location at:
1955 N. State Road 19
is now ALDI.
The newly planned Winn-Dixie is expected at:
401 Plaza Drive
in the former Big Lots location.
According to the lease information reported by Inside Lake, plans also include a Winn-Dixie liquor store.
That creates an unusual transition in the local grocery market: Winn-Dixie's former building has changed brands, while Winn-Dixie itself is preparing to establish another location elsewhere in the city.
What has not changed yet is equally important.
The Plaza Drive Winn-Dixie is not open, an opening date has not been announced, and Winn-Dixie has not released complete details about the store's design, services or amenities.
LCN will distinguish those confirmed facts from proposed or unannounced details as the project progresses.
WHAT'S NEXT
The largest unanswered question is the opening date.
Winn-Dixie has confirmed its plans for Eustis but has not announced when the new store will welcome customers.
Several milestones should provide a clearer picture as the project progresses, including permitting, renovation or construction activity, exterior signage, hiring announcements and an official opening date.
Additional information should also clarify exactly what shoppers can expect inside the new store.
Lake County Now will continue following the project through the LCN Business Tracker and update the record as additional information becomes publicly available or is independently confirmed.
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