GTB Area Retail Blog

This post was originally published to the GTB Retail Seconday Blog on July 6, 2020 and has been republished/rewritten on this blog now with info provided by the Albertsons Florida Blog . Kash n' Karry #848 & #1761/Sweetbay #1761/Winn-Dixie #2444/Future Aldi 1023 N. Tamiami Trail, Ruskin, FL Originally opened on April 6, 1974 as Kash n' Karry store 848 (later 1761), being the first major supermarket in the Ruskin area (and was their 36th location at the time). There was also a Food Lion located 1 mile to the north that existed from 1993 to 2001 in the same plaza as former Kmart #7517 (1982–2003). At 36,426 square feet (not 23,800 square feet on the AFB post), this KNK had several full-service departments ranging from bakery, deli, and meats along with an additional Kare Drugs pharmacy! On May 20, 2006, this store along with 3 others (Fishhawk Blvd, Gunn Hwy, and US 301) became Sweetbay Supermarket as part of Kash n' Karry's rebranding and also received its first inte...

It has been 6 years and 1 month since I first started this blog, and here is a quick update on what was Winn-Dixie #678 in Riverview. After being vacant for 7 years, the left half of the store became a Bravo supermarket that opened on August 1, 2024, being the second Bravo in Hillsborough County after the 2020 opening of the Providence Road location (near the Brandon Exchange shopping mall). These photos were taken in February, during the conversion process. Bravo kept the exterior look from Winn-Dixie, although repainted in a black and red color scheme. This was originally built as a "pre-Marketplace"-style Winn-Dixie in 1984 and remodeled into the Marketplace format in 1995. The pharmacy closed in early 2016, with the actual store closing a year later. Bravo even kept Winn-Dixie's "Entrance" sign as well! The primary road sign on US 301. And the secondary road sign on Boyette Road.

(Post updated on September 1, 2024, now with additional information courtesy of  the Albertsons Florida Blog ) Food World #715/Publix #356/Future Publix #2043 4730 S. Florida Ave, Lakeland, FL - Lake Miriam Square Originally opened on November 15, 1977 as Publix's discount grocery store called Food World, not to be confused with the unrelated Bruno's chain of the same name. This store was Publix's largest at 58,880 square feet upon opening and was also their first store to feature barcode scanning at the checkouts. In 1988, Publix retired the Food World name, and this location became Publix #356. A pharmacy was added during a late 2004/early 2005 remodel to the Kiwi Environment Package, and then received a deluxe remodel to the Sienna Enviroment Package in 2012 along with the addition of a cooking school (closed on August 31, 2023), followed by a Sienna Lite refresh in 2018. This store closed on July 6, 2024 and will be replaced by Publix #2043, a larger 62U (a variant of t...