The Staples store at Christiana Town Center is holding a going out of business sale as a popular grocer waits in the wings.
An Aldi grocery store is expected to take its place. (See earlier story below).
Officials of the German-based company, which has its US headquarters in Illinois, earlier confirmed the company would open a grocery store at the center.
Aldi earlier took part of the space in a former Best Buy store location off Kirkwood Highway, west of Wilmington after the big-box giant closed two stores and opened a new location at the Christiana Fashion Center, near the mall of the same name.
Aldi faces competition from German arch-rival Lidl, which will open a nearby store in Bear later this year and has locations in Dover and Middletown.
The Staples was one of the original occupants of the center, which opened a couple of decades ago. The Town Center is anchored by Boscov’s and generates heavy traffic despite its location away from Christiana Mall.
Over the years, Staples has since added nearby stores in the Brookside area south of Newark, DuPont Highway, New Castle, and Elkton, MD.
A map from Delaware-based owner Allied Retail Properties has shown the Staples store site is available for lease.
The retail mix at the Town Center has changed over the years, with a fitness center and golf fitting store leasing space.
Staples has dominated the northern Delaware market as rivals came and went but have been affected by online competition that includes Amazon. The online giant has moved to same-day delivery for some items.
Staples has also focused on online business, rather than retail, under a private equity firm that owns the company.
It recently struck a deal to acquire consumer businesses of rival Office Depot.
A Staples spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
