Earth Fare To Double Footprint in Florida
TAMPA BAY, FL - Earth Fare is opening the brick-and-mortar floodgates onto Tampa Bay, Florida. The Tampa Bay Times reported that the retailer plans to double its store footprint with ten new locations, slated to open in the next two years. Last week, the specialty grocer opened its third location in the area, already beginning its Tampa Bay Takeover.
“This is our 51st store. We made a commitment four years ago, our real estate strategy going forward would be to build markets, not to build stores,” CEO Frank Scorpiniti said to the Tampa Bay Times. “To really change the health status of a community, you need to build more than one store. Hence, we’re building markets. In the Tampa Bay area, we’re committed to building 8 to 10 stores in the foreseeable future.”
While Florida has long been Publix’s domain, Scorpiniti noted that he’s confident Earth Fare is a unicorn, even amongst other specialty grocers.
“There’s a lot of new entrants into the market. But as we look across the landscape, in North America as a whole, there’s no other business doing what Earth Fare does,” Scorpiniti said. “There are a few competitors in this area, we respect them, but they’re not doing what we do. If you look at their products and read the labels, you will find hundreds of products with chemicals we won’t allow. That’s why we say you can shop at Earth Fare blindfolded, knowing nothing you take home would be deleterious to your family’s home. That’s the differentiator.”
With Earth Fare feeling itself in 2019, will specialty grocery take the cake in a key Florida market and knock Publix off that coveted top spot? AndNowUKnow will continue to keep news-binoculars to our face and be on the lookout for that subtle shift in the landscape.
