Tide to open dry cleaning business in Manatee County's University Groves
MANATEE -- A dry cleaning chain associated with the Tide brand of clothes-washing detergent is planning to open its first area franchise in the growing University Groves neighborhood.
An investment group led by Duke Kassolis of Naples and Alton Scavo of Corpus Christi, Texas, has submitted a site plan to Manatee County to build a Tide Dry Cleaners shop and two adjoining commercial bays on a vacant lot at 3802 East 84th Ave. Circle. The two investors already own Tide Dry Cleaners locations in Naples and Bonita Springs, according to state corporate records.
The Manatee County store would be the franchise's fourth in Florida. Another Tide-branded dry cleaning shop is located in Wellington.
County planning records show that the Kassolis-Scavo company plans to build a 6,600-square-foot retail center on its University Groves property. The company purchased the 1.31-acre parcel in late September for $580,000 from First Bank.
The 3,000-square-foot dry cleaning shop will occupy the largest portion of the development. To be located just north of University Parkway and next to an existing CVS pharmacy, the retail center is part of a wave of commercial and residential development in University Groves. New retail in the area includes a Dunkin' Donuts, a Culver's
restaurant and a Tire Kingdom auto repair shop.
Directly to the west, national home builder DR Horton is building its 66-home Soleil East neighborhood. It is part the builder's larger Soleil subdivision.
Earlier this month, Waypoint Residential of Connecticut purchased acreage on nearby Broadway Avenue, where it has plans to build a 180-unit apartment complex.
Traffic accesses the University Groves area via University Parkway and Tuttle Avenue as well as 84th Place East and Broadway.
Tide Dry Cleaners is a dry cleaning company owned by Procter & Gamble subsidiary Agile Pursuits Franchising.
The Tide Dry Cleaners website shows that the company has 33 franchise locations in the United States. Agile began opening franchise dry cleaning shops in 2008, according to the website.
Kassolis did not respond immediately to requests to comment on his company's planned Manatee County dry cleaning shop.
Matt M. Johnson, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7027 or on Twitter @MattAtBradenton.
This story was originally published November 17, 2015 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Tide to open dry cleaning business in Manatee County's University Groves ."