Publix opens new GreenWise Market in Ft. Lauderdale

Publix Super Markets has opened its first new GreenWise Market since closing two locations last summer.

The 27,758-square-foot store at 255 SE 3rd Ave. in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., which opened to the public on Thursday, marks the sixth GreenWise location in Florida and the eighth overall for the small-format retail concept. It’s also the first GreenWise store situated in a mixed-use development: The Main Las Olas, a 1.4 million-square-foot project anchored by a 25-story office tower and including residential, retail, dining and other space.

“We took all of the things our customers love about GreenWise Market and put them in a centralized downtown location,” Publix President Kevin Murphy said in a statement. “We look forward to sharing our unique atmosphere and products with our customers who live and work in this busy urban neighborhood.”

The GreenWise stores feature “experience zones” of product categories and services, with the 'FINDS' department offering a curated selection of wines, beer and imported cheese.

Targeted at foodies and consumers following healthy lifestyles, GreenWise Market offers a range of specialty, natural and organic food, grocery and wellness products.

As in the other GreenWise, the Fort Lauderdale store houses “experience zones” of product categories and services. The “CUTS” section offers meat raised with no antibiotics or added hormones, as well as sustainably sourced seafood. In the “EATS” area, customers will find made-to-order meals and grab-and-go foods such as handcrafted gourmet sandwiches and fresh-baked pizza. A curated selection of wines and imported cheeses anchors the “FINDS” department, while the “POURS” area offers locally roasted coffee, wine, beer on tap and other beverages that customers can drink in-store. The “CARES” health and wellness section carries vitamins, nutritional supplements, natural soaps and shampoos, and other health and personal care items.

Related:Publix to shut two GreenWise Markets in South Carolina

Shoppers also can enroll in GreenWise Market Rewards, a loyalty program that provides personalized offers and digital coupons. The rewards can be redeemed only at GreenWise stores. The ground-floor Fort Lauderdale location, too, has a mural by artist Steven Teller that depicts colorful tropical plants common to South Florida.

The first GreenWise Market, a 29,000-square-foot store, opened in Tallahassee, Fla., in October 2018. Publix also currently operates GreenWise stores, between 20,000 and 30,000 square feet, in Lakeland, Boca Raton, Ponte Vedra and Odessa, Fla.; Mountain Brook, Ala.; and Marietta, Ga. The most recently opened locations — Marietta, Odessa and Ponte Vedra, all just over 25,000 square feet — went into operation last June.

Publix shut two GreenWise stores in Mount Pleasant and Lexington, S.C., in late August, citing “space constraints that will not fit our current vision for GreenWise Markets.” Both locations had been in operation since 2019, with the 21,500-square-foot Mount Pleasant store opening in May and the 21,400-square-foot Lexington store opening in December of that year.

Related:Publix opens first GreenWise Market store in Georgia

Publix also has said it plans to open and more GreenWise stores, in Tampa and St. Augustine, Fla., in 2021 but hasn’t provided further details.