Aldi is reportedly eyeing the long-vacant Bed Bath & Beyond shell at 2051 Chain Bridge Road in Tysons, with draft renovation plans under county review hinting at a major grocery move-in. The discount grocer would take roughly half of the roughly 56,000-square-foot building, a big-box that has been sitting idle since early 2022. Several county sign-offs suggest work could move ahead, but Aldi has not publicly committed to opening a store there.
Draft plans prepared by APD Engineering & Architecture show Aldi carving out 26,631 square feet of the former home-goods store, leaving about 29,436 square feet for a future second tenant, according to FFXnow. The architectural submission seeks permits for a rebuilt storefront, new plumbing, upgraded HVAC and electrical systems, and fixtures including checkout counters and freezers. When asked about the project, an Aldi public-relations representative told the outlet it “did not have any information to share” about an Aldi development in the Vienna area at this time.
The project has also been flagged by the Washington Business Journal, which noted Aldi’s recent regional push, including openings in Springfield and northeast D.C. Reporter Alan Kline pointed to design drawings and county filings that identify the discount grocer as the intended tenant, framing the Tysons location as another step in Aldi’s broader metro-area expansion strategy.
Aldi’s growth spurt is not limited to the D.C. suburbs. The Washington Post reported that the company plans to open roughly 180 U.S. stores this year and is targeting about 3,200 locations nationwide by the end of 2028. Industry coverage has cast Aldi’s compact, low-price format as a landlord-friendly way to fill empty anchor spaces, with discount grocers increasingly snapping up vacant big-box and strip-center slots and quietly reshaping suburban retail corridors.
Site History And Redevelopment Potential
The property at 2051 Chain Bridge Road previously housed Bed Bath & Beyond until that store shut down in early 2022. An affiliate of Benderson Development acquired the parcel for roughly $29 million in 2015, according to Tysons Reporter. County planning documents place the site in the Northwest Old Courthouse subdistrict, where the Tysons Comprehensive Plan calls for office-supported retail or mixed-use redevelopment with a substantial residential component, per Fairfax County. That policy framework gives the property owner considerable leeway if they eventually opt for something more ambitious than a single large retailer.
Timeline And What To Watch
Several county agencies signed off on changes to “critical structures” at the site on March 10, but a full building permit and formal word from Aldi are still pending, FFXnow reports. If the proposal moves forward, key variables to watch will include road access, how the remaining space in the building is ultimately leased, and the construction timeline. Given Aldi’s smaller footprint and tightly curated selection, national coverage indicates the store would function as a value-focused option rather than a full-service supermarket, according to The Washington Post.
For now, the property’s future hinges on additional permit filings and an official statement from the company. Until that happens, the project remains a plan under county review, as reported by Washington Business Journal. If Aldi does lock in the deal, it would add one more data point to a growing pattern: discount grocers stepping into the gaps left by shuttered suburban big-box anchors.
