Publix Supermarkets has announced a June opening date for its latest South Florida store, but this one will be a bit different from the new and redesigned superstores the grocery giant has been popping up all over the state in the last few years.
For one thing, at just 29,365 square feet, it will be a little more than half the size of the new stores in St. Augustine and St. Petersburg that opened in March. The new store in Plantation in the Fort Lauderdale metro area also won’t have a pharmacy, although it will have an adjacent liquor store.
No details have been released about which aspects of Publix’s new modern design will make it in, but Publix operates several stores with a smaller footprint in Florida.
Publix has opened or reopened dozens of stores in Florida in the last few years, with many featuring additional amenities such as enhanced deli and bakery offerings, olive bars, popcorn stands, customer seating areas, and a greater emphasis on customer pickup and delivery.
When is the Plantation Publix opening?
The new Plantation Publix near Fort Lauderdale will open on June 4, according to the company’s “opening soon” page.
This Publix is about 2½ miles from another Plantation location on 6921 W Broward Blvd., and less than two miles from one at 3500 Davie Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale.
After this, the next Publix to open will be in Palm Beach Gardens on May 21.
Where is the new Publix opening in Florida?
The new store will be one of the anchor stores at the West Broward Shopping Center at 3901 W Broward Blvd., Plantation, as part of the center’s redevelopment.
Smaller stores not new for Publix
When a less-than-30,000-square-foot store was planned for Longwood in 2018, Dwaine Stevens, Publix’s media and communications manager, told Progressive Grocer, “We opened similar locations in downtown St. Pete, Gainesville and Pensacola that have been wildly embraced by residents in the area.”
Publix also experimented with smaller GreenWise Market stores from 2018 to 2023, with a focus on the chain’s organic and essential groceries aimed at “foodies and health-conscious customers alike” in a format that allowed them to open in smaller retail spots. While the stores were successful, Supermarket News reported, Publix eventually phased them out and converted the seven Florida locations — Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Lakeland, Nocatee, Odessa, Tampa, and Tallahassee — into traditional Publix formats.
More grocery store chains expanding in Florida
There’s something of a grocery store arms race going on in Florida right now.
Discount grocery chain Aldi has already opened about 20 locations this year with more scheduled in May, many of them converted Winn-Dixie locations from Aldi’s brief acquisition of that company in 2024-2025. Aldi opened about 60 locations in the Sunshine State last year.
The Winn-Dixie Co. is in the process of converting Harvey’s Supermarket stores in Ocala, Lakeland, and Jacksonville into Winn-Dixie locations.
Meanwhile, Trader Joe’s, a more upscale grocery destination, opened a location in Daytona Beach, Florida, in November and another in Melbourne, Florida, on Dec. 3. Two more are planned for West Palm Beach and Orlando.
A Whole Foods Market is set to open in Jacksonville on May 21.
C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Publix sets June opening for smaller Florida store. How it’s different
Reporting by C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
