Publix plans to open another supermarket in the Bradenton area. It would be No. 19
Publix this week signaled its intent to open its 19th supermarket in the Bradenton area by filing an application with Manatee County Building and Development Services.
A 49,692-square-foot store, named White Eagle Publix, is proposed for 13150 State Road 64, on the north side of Lakewood Ranch, roughly south of Greyhawk Landing and Mill Creek.
The store would be located near a roundabout that the Florida Department of Transportation is expected to finish within a couple of months, and a second roundabout that FDOT will begin working on Monday. Both roundabouts are on State Road 64.
Publix opened its 17th Manatee County store on Sept. 19, 2019, in the Gateway Commons of Manatee shopping center on the northeast corner of the intersection of Moccasin Wallow Road and Interstate 75.
That store is Publix’s latest prototype at 48,387 square feet with a deli in the round and a second-floor mezzanine where people can sit and eat.
Publix’ 18th store, Publix at Braden River, 14605 S.R. 70, also at Lakewood Ranch, has not yet opened. The Publix website announces that the store, at the intersection of Lorraine Road and State Road 70, is “coming soon.”
“The store is on track to open in the fourth quarter. This store is our latest prototype. It will be more than 48,000 square feet and includes our deli situated entirely into the sales floor. Our customers will be able to shop for their sliced meats and cheeses, order Publix subs and prepared foods all from this unique space,” Publix spokesman Brian West said in an email.
For most of its more-than-25-year history, Publix has been the only supermarket brand in Lakewood Ranch.
In late May, Southeastern Grocers announced that it had acquired the former Earth Fare grocery space at the corner of State Road 70 and Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and would open a Winn Dixie supermarket there.
Earth Fare announced in February that it was closing all of its supermarkets, including the one that anchors The Green at Lakewood Ranch shopping center. The Earth Fare store opened in January 2018.
Southeastern Grocers, Inc., parent company of Winn Dixie, BI-LO, Fresco y Más, and Harveys Supermarket, announced its plans to expand in Florida with the addition of eight new Winn-Dixie stores before the end of the year.
Southeasten has not announced an opening date for the Lakewood Ranch Winn Dixie.
Publix, founded in 1930 in Winter Haven, has 1,252 store locations, including 813 in Florida.
It ranks among the 10 largest-volume supermarket chains in the country with retail sales in 2018 of $36.1 billion. Publix employs more than 200,000 people.
For more information about Publix, visit https://corporate.publix.com/.
This story was originally published July 31, 2020 at 11:01 AM.
