Publix Opens Urbanized Unit in Downtown Orlando
Publix just opened another unique store, this time in downtown Orlando, Fla. The 29,431 square foot unit, with underground parking garage and undersized carts, is ready to greet downtown workers and shoppers from surrounding condominium towers with everything from fresh flowers to a deli.
The store is on the ground floor of a 17-story condominium. Residents of the condominium where Publix is located have their own separate entrance to the market.
It features the usual departments of a larger supermarket including a deli, bakery, meat and seafood sections, and also houses the only pharmacy in downtown Orlando.
An innovative dock area for loading and unloading at the store has room inside for trucks to turn around, lessening the need to block surrounding streets. The parking garage has elevators large enough for shoppers and their carts.
Dwaine Stevens, a Publix spokesman, said the chain's stores typically draw customers from a 3-to-5-mile radius. With the recent opening of hundreds of residential units in condo and apartment towers nearby, the new market has more than the usual number of potential customers within walking distance.
Publix has plenty of experience with urban locations. The grocer has sites in urban areas including Miami Beach and Atlanta. Publix usually stocks more prepared meals and gourmet foods than average in urban locations, according to company reports.
The last supermarket in downtown Orlando, according to the Orange County Regional History Center, was a Winn-Dixie that closed in 1980.
The store is on the ground floor of a 17-story condominium. Residents of the condominium where Publix is located have their own separate entrance to the market.
It features the usual departments of a larger supermarket including a deli, bakery, meat and seafood sections, and also houses the only pharmacy in downtown Orlando.
An innovative dock area for loading and unloading at the store has room inside for trucks to turn around, lessening the need to block surrounding streets. The parking garage has elevators large enough for shoppers and their carts.
Dwaine Stevens, a Publix spokesman, said the chain's stores typically draw customers from a 3-to-5-mile radius. With the recent opening of hundreds of residential units in condo and apartment towers nearby, the new market has more than the usual number of potential customers within walking distance.
Publix has plenty of experience with urban locations. The grocer has sites in urban areas including Miami Beach and Atlanta. Publix usually stocks more prepared meals and gourmet foods than average in urban locations, according to company reports.
The last supermarket in downtown Orlando, according to the Orange County Regional History Center, was a Winn-Dixie that closed in 1980.