Sturgis Has Lots of Thoughts on What Should Replace Kroger on Centreville Road

When Kroger in Sturgis closed in November of 2020 it was a blow to the southern St Joseph County community. Yes, big chain retailers, Meijer and Wal-Mart, serve the community but the loss of Kroger was actually felt.

Now nearly a year later speculation has been running trough the city about a possible new tenant. The vibrant Our Sturgis Community Facebook group has seen three recent threads (1, 2, 3) started on what could replace the former grocery store. Those who want to see another grocery store would love to see either an Aldi or the South Bend-based grocery chain, Martin's, which has locations in Elkhart and Niles but not quite close enough to Sturgis.

Others hoped for a home improvement warehouse to occupy the space, with the closest big box home store being across the county in Three Rivers.

One knowledgeable commenter shared:

Last I spoke directly with the city, Kroger is still paying down its financial obligations to the building, and something is being talked about. It is NOT Aldi, but I was told it should make area residents happy. As with most projects, the business of interest won’t be named publicly until everything is finalized. That could be a little way down the road yet.

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So what we can speculate is that the anchor of Sturgis Plaza, as the shopping center is known, will not remain vacant, but it's too soon for anyone to reveal any concrete plans.

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