ALDI set to replace former Lunds & Byerlys in downtown St. Paul

Downtown St. Paul Lunds & Byerlys to close

Residents react to the news that the downtown St. Paul Lunds & Byerlys is closing at the end of March. FOX 9's Leon Purvis has more.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Permits show an ALDI grocery store is set to take over the storefront left empty by the sudden departure of Lunds & Byerlys in downtown St. Paul which closed last year.

ALDI set to open in downtown St. Paul

What we know:

Permits filed with the City of St. Paul show a developer is seeking approval to remodel the store into ALDI. One permit has been granted while the other is still in the approval process. According to the granted permit, work on the new store is slated to begin in mid-March and estimated to be completed by late June.

The developer also submitted a permit application just this week to swap out the Lunds signage with ALDI signs.

Lunds closes in downtown St. Paul

The backstory:

Lunds & Byerlys announced in early March 2025 that it would close the Robert Street store by the end of that month.

In its statement, Lunds pointed to staffing and financial challenges in recent years driving the decision to close the location. The closure also came almost exactly three years after a fire at the store caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.