Benderson Development
The longstanding grocery store in Siesta Key Village will shutter for good in May.
Siesta Market, an independent grocer that’s been a staple on Siesta Key for decades, will close next month as the longtime owners, brothers Peter and Vincent Messina, prepare to retire. The Messina family has owned and operated the business for 44 years.
“I’m going to be 71 this year and my brother is 66. I wish we were younger so we can keep doing this, but we’re not. So it’s time to say adios,” Vincent Messina said on Wednesday.
The grocery store, which is one of two on Siesta Key, will close sometime in mid to late May, Messina said. There is not scheduled closing day yet. Another independent supermarket, Crescent Beach Grocery, is located at the south end of Siesta Key.
“Originally we were thinking we’d close at the end of season, but there is no end anymore,” Messina said. “Last year we were busy all the way through August.”
The building, which was bought by investor Christopher J. Brown along with some other properties in November for $2.8 million, will likely be renovated. It is unclear at this time what could take the place of the Siesta Market at 205 Canal Rd.
Benderson Development has plans build a 250,000-square-foot retail center and hotel called the Siesta Promenade at U.S. 41 and Stickney Point Road,. The center will likely include The Fresh Market grocery store, which would service Siesta Key residents and tourists.
For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.
HomeGoods, a home furnishings chain, opened a new 20,000-square-foot store inside the Shoppes at University Town Center, a shopping plaza across from the new mall on Sunday.
The chain, under parent company TJX Companies, took over a space formerly occupied by Bealls Outlet. The space was extended by 8,6000-square-feet late last year. The store is located in the same plaza as Nordstrom Rack, Total Wine & More and Marshalls, among several other retailers and restaurants.
HomeGoods operates two other locations in Southwest Florida – a store on Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota and another in Venice.
For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.
Petco, a national pet supply retailer, will open a new store in south Sarasota on Feb. 27, in Pelican Plaza on Tamiami Trail, near Westfield Sarasota Square Mall.
The chain will open a 12,500- square-foot store next to Total Wine & More and Sports Authority, the Herald-Tribune reported in November.
As apart of the grand opening, Petco will be offering discounts throughout the weekend, from Feb. 27 to March 1. Residents in the area received coupons for the store in the mail last week. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be helpd at 8:55 a.m. on Saturday.
The first 100 customers who sign up for a Pals Rewards (or are already a member) on Saturday will receive a $10 gift card. On Sunday, the first 5o Pal Rewards shoppers at the store will receive a free Petco tote bag.
Cats and dogs will also be available for adoption on site.
The privately held pet specialty retailer based in San Diego has two stores in Sarasota and others in Bradenton, Venice and Port Charlotte.
Pelican Plaza recently reopened after undergoing major renovations this year. The mostly vacant center had struggled since its former anchor, Linens ‘n Things, closed in 2008 following a bankruptcy filing by its parent company. Former tenants include a Plato’s Closet and a 107,000- square-foot Bealls Outlet store, which closed in late 2013 before renovations began.
Manatee County-based Benderson Development paid $4 million in 2012 for the 29-year-old strip center at U.S. 41 and Vamo Road.
For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.
Whole Foods Market announced it will open a second grocery store in Sarasota this year.
The new store in Sarasota is one of eight supermarkets Whole Foods is opening in the U.S. and Canada in 2015, executives said during the company’s first quarter earnings report Friday.
The 40,000-square-foot grocery store will open at the southwest corner of University Parkway and Honore Avenue, not farm from Interstate 75 and the Mall at University Town Center, and will anchor a new shopping plaza that has yet to be built.
It will likely open within 18 months to two years from now.
The Austin-based high end, organic grocery chain operates one store in the Southwest Florida region on First Street in downtown Sarasota. Casto Lifestyle Properties, a Lakewood Ranch-based commercial real estate firm, built the downtown Whole Foods Market Center/100 Central retail and condominium complex in downtown Sarasota in 2004.
“Ever since we first came to Sarasota in 2004 we’ve had nothing but positive feedback from the community and the market is strong enough for a second location,” said Juan Nuñez, regional president for Whole Foods Market Florida region. “Our current location services the downtown area, and our second Sarasota store will attract shoppers off the highway and the retail area that’s expanding off of I-75.”
SJ Collins Enterprises, an Atlanta-based retail developer, is behind the new shopping plaza coming to the University Park region . Whole Foods will anchor the center, though the developer plans to add restaurants and other soft goods storefronts.
“Whole Foods thought that there was too much traffic congestion in the Benderson property for every day use,” said Jeff Garrison, a partner with the Georgia real estate firm.
Benderson Development proposed a plan for an additional 600,000 square feet of retail space off University Parkway near its brand new 880,000-square-foot mall. The addition, which hasn’t been approved by Sarasota County and the state yet, would bring the local developer’s total retail footprint surrounding the mall and west of Lakewood Ranch to 2.58 million square feet of commercial development.
Whole Foods Market continues to expand aggressively in the country with 116 stores in development right now, despite some faltering sales in recent years. The company is also expanding into Canada with three new stores this year.
The first quarter earnings report shows that Whole Foods’ sales are steady. During the first quarter, total sales increased by 10 percent to $4.67 billion and same-store sales rose by 4.5 percent.
The upscale grocery chain known for its high prices has actively tried to drop prices to better compete with other brands that offer discount prices.
Whole Foods is listed as No. 19 on trade firm, Supermarket News’, list of the top 75 retailers in 2014. Whole Foods made the top 20 with $12.9 billion in annual sales
Other new Whole Foods locations scheduled to open this year include Baltimore, Bellingham, Wash., Bridgewater, N.J., Charlotte, N.C., Chicago, Mandeville, La., and Toledo, Ohio. Whole Foods operates 408 stores across the U.S.
Photo By Ken Blevins/StarNew
For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.
Charlotte Russe, a women’s fashion retail chain, will host a grand opening party at the Mall at University Town Center this weekend.
To celebrate the store’s debut, Charlotte Russe is offering the chance to win deals like $5 off $30 purchases, $10 off $50 purchases and $15 off $75 purchases from Feb. 6-8. The coupons are not good with any other offers. Customers also have the chance to win a $150 shopping spree.
Charlotte Russe has a stores in the Sarasota Square Mall, Desoto Square Mall and Ellenton Premium Outlets.
Lucky Brand, Tory Burch, Free People and several other brands are expected to open in the Mall at University Town Center this year. The Mall at University Town Center opened in October at University Parkway and Interstate 75. The 880,000-square-foot mall is anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue, Dillard’s and Macys.
For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.
Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza, a national chain of pizza restaurants, will open its first location in Southwest Florida on Thursday.
The fast-casual pizza concept,where customers can build their own pizzas, will open its restaurant at 215 N. Cattlemen Rd. To celebrate the grand opening, Blaze is giving away free pizza on Friday, Jan. 30.
Customers can have an 11-inch build-your-own pizza for free on Friday. The offer is good for one pizza per person. Pizza is free all day.
Blaze is expanding quickly through the Sunshine State . The company opened its first Florida restaurant in Fort Lauderdale in November. A second restaurant opened in Gainesville in December. Six more restaurants will open in 2015 in markets like Orlando and Tallahassee.
The Herald-Tribune reported Blaze Pizza’s interest in the region in August 2014. The new restaurant is located next to Panera Bread and Jos. A. Bank on Cattlemen Road.
The chain is known for its custom-built artisanal pizzas, salads, lemonade and s’more pies. Each restaurant features an interactive assembly-line format, perfected by other chains like Moe’s Southwest Grill and Chipotle. Pizza prices are under $8.
“Our mission at Blaze is really simple — we’re all about bringing the community a place where guests can connect, create and enjoy great pizza at crazy fast speed,” said Jim Mizes, president & COO of Blaze Pizza. “If you think about it, there hasn’t been a good way to enjoy a made-from-scratch pizza without the wait. Now there is. We believe this will be a game-changer in Florida.”
For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.