New Winn Dixie store to open in Lakewood Ranch
Southeastern Grocers Inc., which in May took over a former Earth Fare location in Lakewood Ranch, announced Monday that a Winn Dixie supermarket will open there on Nov. 11.
The Lakewood Ranch Winn Dixie, which will become an anchor of The Green at Lakewood Ranch shopping center, is one of four that Southeastern is opening on Nov. 11. It is also opening converted Earth Fare stores in Boynton Beach and Jacksonville and a former Lucky’s Market in Gainesville.
Earth Fare closed the Lakewood Ranch store, 11525 State Road 70 E., in February, along with 13 other Florida stores, saying that it was “not in a financial position to continue to operate on a go-forward basis.”
In addition to Winn Dixie, Southeastern is parent company of BI-LO, Fresco y Más, and Harveys Supermarket.
SEG will introduce new signature categories throughout the four Winn-Dixie stores with a wide product selection and specialty items in each department.
“At Southeastern Grocers, we are committed to providing an exceptional shopping experience for all of our customers, and we are proud to soon introduce four new Winn-Dixie stores crafted with offerings for our customers’ distinct tastes and preferences,” Anthony Hucker, president and CEO of Southeastern Grocers, said in a press release.
“We’ve expanded our product assortments in these new stores to ensure our customers have fresh, quality products at the right price for every meal. As we expand our footprint, we are able to support more communities throughout Florida and be the grocer our customers and communities can always count on,” Hucker said.
The Winn Dixie store will offer expanded varieties of signature items, including fresh and dried peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms and an assortment of tropical fruits and berries as well as specialty cheeses, take-and-bake pizzas, fresh sushi and other grab-and-go meal options in the deli departments.
The full-service meat departments will feature 12 flavors of fresh-made specialty sausages and Certified Angus Beef cuts.
Other amenities include new seafood departments with a variety of fresh, locally caught selections, including Florida Keys lobster, Florida stone crab and shrimp. Bakery selections will include a variety of artisan-baked breads, pastries and desserts.
A wide range of specialty food selections for various dietary preferences throughout the new stores, include an expanded offering of organic, natural and gluten-free options.
A small ribbon cutting ceremonies is planned the morning of Nov. 11, where customers will be encouraged to maintain social distancing protocols.
Winn-Dixie offers grocery delivery services through e-commerce partners.
These store openings are the first of eight new Winn-Dixie stores throughout the state of Florida. New locations are planned in Fort Myers, Lake Mary and Melbourne later this year and Viera in early 2021.
This expansion follows the February opening of a new Winn-Dixie store in the grocer’s hometown of Jacksonville in response to the local city and community plea to combat an impending food desert in the Brentwood community with the closing of a Publix store.
The eight new Winn-Dixie stores will provide more than 700 jobs and opportunities to community members throughout Florida. Job seekers may apply online at https://www.segrocers.com/careers.
Southeastern Grocers has stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina.
