Two new businesses are planned for Millsboro, the eager-to-grow central Sussex town of about 7,000.
German grocery chain Aldi will build its eighth Delaware store and second Sussex County store in Millsboro’s Peninsula Crossing, between Lowe’s and PetSmart.
On the northern side of town, on northbound Route 113 next to Papa John’s, Lewes Meineke owner Dave Repass will open a second location.
Both businesses plan to start construction in the spring and open later this year, though that could still change for Meineke, Repass said, due to weather, supply shortages and other variables.
He said he was drawn in by Millsboro’s business-friendly attitude.
“I like what they’ve done in the past and where I believe they’re going, as well as the tremendous growth,” he said.
Sussex County’s population grew over 20% between 2010 and 2020, with Millsboro’s most significant growth being in the Plantation Lakes development. Just west of Route 113, over 1,000 of Plantation Lakes’ planned 2,500 homes have been built so far, with the rest set to be completed over the next few years.
“We pull customers in Lewes from the Millsboro-Georgetown area … so (Millsboro) was kinda just the obvious next place to be,” Repass said.
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The Lewes Meineke opened a decade ago and has consistently ranked among the top Meineke stores nationwide for cars serviced, growth and customer satisfaction for several years, according to Repass.
The 6,400-square-foot Millsboro Meineke will feature nine or 10 bays. Repass said he’ll hire 12-15 new employees for the store.
As for Aldi, the Millsboro store is planned at about 19,000 square feet. A media representative did not respond to requests for information by press time, but Millsboro Town Manager Sheldon Hudson confirmed the store is set to open later this year.
Aldi stores are purposefully smaller than most American supermarkets, making for a “quick-and-easy shopping experience with only four to five aisles and all the essentials,” its website states.
Aldi stores usually stock only one type of each “specially curated” item, and about 90% of those items are the Aldi brand, according to its website.
Aldi opened two new stores in Delaware in November 2021, in Rehoboth Beach and Christiana.
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