Lucky’s Market leaving Oakland Park has left a gap in the community, but an ALDI grocery store is on the way to fill it.

Plans are still in the early development stages, so there are no opening dates set at this time.

“We know savvy shoppers want ALDI in their communities, and we look forward to introducing Oakland Park residents to the best grocery shopping experience,” Chris Hewitt, the Royal Palm Beach division vice president for ALDI, said in an email. “Everything about ALDI is purposefully designed to create cost-savings and efficiencies that we pass on to our customers.

Lucky’s Market closed a number of its stores in February, including the Oakland Park location at 1033 E. Oakland Park Blvd. There are no locations left in Florida. ALDI acquired multiple locations in the state: Oakland Park, Coral Springs, Sarasota, Vineland, Orlando and Venice, according to the Sun Sentinel.

The German-owned brand is opening a store on Aug. 19 in Sunrise at 8075 W. Oakland Park Blvd. and there are currently locations in Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and more throughout South Florida.

ALDI has more than 2,000 stores in 36 states and is known for its affordable prices. Ninety percent of the products sold are ALDI brands, keeping costs down. The store sells everything from fresh produce and seafood to cereal and snacks.

The grocery store is a part of Oakland Park’s transformation. The old Kmart lot at Oakland Park Boulevard and Sixth Avenue is on its way to becoming a residential space with a Sprouts Farmers Market grocery store. The city is also using bond funds to renovate and rebuild municipal buildings, including fire stations, the community center, library and more.

However, the goal is for the city to keep its charm and not get overbuilt — in fact, for a time, the Sprouts location was on its way to becoming a Walmart. 

“The last thing I want to see is a corridor of monolithic buildings,” Oakland Park Mayor Matthew Sparks said of all the changes. “We still want Oakland Park to have its Oakland Park character.”