Tenants sign on at former Ruby’s Market

SBJ photo by Eric Olson

Signage fronting Sunshine Street indicates a Red Racks store is coming soon.

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Last edited 1:16 p.m., May 9, 2019

Pyramid Foods is transforming its former Ruby’s Market organic grocery store into a multitenant development.

Grocery retailer Aldi and Red Racks Thrift Store are among businesses with plans at the 54,000-square-foot property, Springfield Business Journal has learned.

Aldi Divisional Vice President Mark Bersted said a fall 2019 opening is targeted at 2843 E. Sunshine St.

“We want the best sites that are closest to our shoppers and can support a high daily traffic volume,” Bersted said via email. “As the demand for Aldi grows, so do our real estate options.”

Bersted said Aldi stores typically span around 12,000 square feet. The former Ruby’s, which closed in December 2018, comprises 54,000 square feet, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

A building permit on file with the city indicates the landlord, Pyramid Foods, is “demising a portion within the center of the existing building to lease to Aldi as a tenant.” A declared valuation of $1.2 million is stated for the renovation that includes a new front wall for Aldi, electrical work, interior finishes and flooring. No other tenants are mentioned in the permit, and a Pyramid Foods spokesperson did not return a request for comment by deadline.

Aldi’s website lists two current stores in Springfield at 421 E. Battlefield Road and 1645 E. Kearney St. Within a mile of the former Ruby’s, West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee Inc. recently signaled plans to move forward on its second Springfield store at 2130 and 2150 E. Sunshine St.

Bersted said Aldi will not be the only tenant in the former Ruby’s, which opened in March 2017 in a converted Dillons store.

At least one other company, Red Racks, is planning a store at the East Sunshine property. The company’s website lists a store at 2483 E. Sunshine St. as coming soon, and signage outside the former Ruby’s also points to plans for a Red Racks Thrift Store.

Melissa Rhoades, director of marketing for Red Racks parent company Team Thrift, said the thrift store will take up 13,000 square feet of the Sunshine Street property. Red Racks is targeting an August opening.

“This is an area of town where we don’t currently have a convenient location to shop or donate,” she said, pointing to three other stores in Springfield.