(This story has been updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)
OSHKOSH – Woodman’s is officially Oshkosh bound.
Eighteen months after buying the Shops at Oshkosh, Woodman’s revealed it hopes to build a new 270,000 square-foot supermarket and gas station at the 37-acre property in a couple of years.
When could construction start for the new Woodman’s in Oshkosh?
Woodman’s Vice President of Real Estate Bret Backus confirmed the news in an email to the Northwestern, saying the “best-case scenario” is for construction to begin in either 2027 or 2028, pending city approval.
“Woodman’s is excited about the opportunity to work with the City of Oshkosh to redevelop the dated and failing outlet mall with a new food store, gas station and commercial outlots,” Backus wrote to the Northwestern.
“Given the number of moving pieces in this process, it’s not possible to provide a definitive date, and as much as we hope that the City wants to see this site redeveloped with our use, we take nothing for granted related to the approvals that are needed from the City of Oshkosh,” Backus added.
City filings spark new questions about Woodman’s Oshkosh proposal
Backus’ confirmation comes days after the city’s planning services webpage showed requests for a general development plan and subdivision variance at 3001, 3015 and 3025 S. Washburn St. — all within the Shops at Oshkosh property.
A zone change request was also made for 3015 and 3025 S. Washburn St.
The city’s calendar indicates those requests are scheduled for the upcoming April 8 Plan Commission meeting, but Backus said the plans won’t be on that meeting’s agenda.
“At this point, [we] are unsure when we will be on the PC’s agenda,” Backus wrote.
Woodman’s bought Shops at Oshkosh for $12 million and plans stayed quiet
Backus’ statements end nearly two years of speculation about Woodman’s plans since the regional full-service supermarket chain acquired the entire outlet mall for $12 million in 2024.
At the time, Mid-America Real Estate, the mall’s management, said Woodman’s had no plans of redeveloping the property into another supermarket location and were in the process of extending existing leases and attracting new tenants.
But a source with intimate knowledge of Woodman’s initial agreement to purchase the outlet mall told the Northwestern it was always the company’s intention to build a supermarket within three to five years of buying the property.
The future of the outlet stores still came into question, particularly after cornerstone store Hanes and fellow tenant Adidas both shut their doors within weeks of Woodman’s buying the lots.
Will the outlet mall stay open after Woodman’s development?
Backus never directly addressed those storefronts other than to say that the proposed food store is “about 270,000” square feet while adding the outlet mall takes up around 280,000 square feet.
Not including the seasonal Spirit Halloween, the mall has just 21 full-time storefronts following Ralph Lauren’s departure March 20 and the recent nationwide shuttering of Eddie Bauer stores.
How many Woodman’s stores are in Wisconsin and Illinois?
If approved by the city of Oshkosh, a Woodman’s store on South Washburn Street would mark the regional chain’s 14th location in the state and 21st overall, joining branches in Appleton, Green Bay, Madison, Menominee Falls and Kenosha.
The chain was founded in 1919 in Janesville, with current stores based on a modified warehouse model offering lower prices as a result of the company’s bulk purchasing model.
Northwestern readers appeared to be in favor of that Woodman’s model, with several community members pining for the company to build its trademark supermarket as part of a reader callout.
Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@usatodayco.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @justinmarville.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Woodman’s confirms new Oshkosh store plan at outlet mall
Reporting by Justin Marville, Oshkosh Northwestern / Oshkosh Northwestern
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