Multi-level Publix opens today

Lakeland-based Publix Super Markets Inc.’s newest Florida location, complete with a ground-floor parking garage and retail space locations above, opens today at the intersection of Bay Street and South Tamiami Trail on a 2.3-acre site.

The 49,700-square-foot store at 2031 Bay St. allows patrons to park their cars on the ground-floor garage or parking lot and access the store via a double-wide elevator or an escalator.

The store, labeled Store No. 1372, is the 24th Publix location in Sarasota County and will also contain a shopping cart conveyor to transfer carts to and from the ground floor.

The prototype is the first of its kind in the area and employs approximately 130 people. Similar stores exist in St. Petersburg, Tampa, Treasure Island and Miami.

The store was built by Sarasota-based McIntyre, Elwell & Strammer General Contractors Inc. and designed by Fisher Architects.

The new store includes vivid colored tiles of green, blue, red and yellow on the walls, along with both track-and-fluorescent lighting.

In addition to traditional meat and produce sections, a bakery and a deli, it will also have an on-site pharmacy and full-service fresh seafood and floral departments.

The $8.1 million store replaces the former Publix in the Ringling Shopping Center, which was the oldest operating store in the grocery-store chain’s portfolio before it closed Wednesday. The new store is 45% larger than the store it replaces.

“It is always exciting to open a new store and feel the enthusiasm it generates,” said Publix spokesperson Shannon Patten. “We look forward to serving our customers in this unique multi-level location.”

Publix Store Hours
The newest Sarasota Publix location at 2031 Bay St. has the following hours:
7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week

Pharmacy Hours
9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday