Even as discount chains grow, Publix remains dominant in Florida
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Mar 22, 2023

German discount grocer Aldi saw an uptick in visits to its Florida stores in 2022 as food prices rose astronomically — but Publix Super Markets Inc. remains the Sunshine State's dominant grocer by far.

Lakeland-based Publix saw the most visits of any grocer last year, according to a new report on Florida's grocery market from real estate firm JLL Inc. Publix saw 653.3 million visits statewide, JLL said, citing data from Placer.ai, a location analytics company. Winn-Dixie Inc. ranked second with more than 113 million visits.

Aldi was a distant fourth in annual visits (43 million statewide), but its monthly visits were up 11% compared to 2021. Publix's visits were down 3%, according to the report.

Grocers are major players in retail real estate development, remaining the go-to anchor of new developments even as other sectors of brick-and-mortar retail struggle to draw foot traffic. All of Tampa's new mixed-use districts feature a grocer: Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. at The Heights; Whole Foods at Midtown Tampa; and Publix GreenWise Market at Water Street Tampa.

Publix in recent years has gone beyond anchor and is now an owner of several prominent centers around the state. At the end of 2022, Publix owned the building and land at 393 of its 1,332 locations, according to regulatory filings. The grocer employs 242,000 people companywide and more than 27,000 people in the Tampa Bay region.

In Central Florida — which includes Tampa Bay, Orlando and Fort Myers in the JLL report — Publix controls about half of the market share. Its 522 stores in that region brought in $12.9 billion in sales last year, JLL said, citing data from The Shelby Report.

But Aldi isn't to be discounted, JLL writes. It had more visits than Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe's and The Fresh Market, according to the Placer.ai data.

"While Aldi’s share of market sales is only a fraction of that of its toughest competitors, it still ranks fourth in foot traffic, a clear indication that Florida appreciates its leading discount grocer, especially in these times of rising food prices," the report said.

Aldi, JLL said, is gearing up to add dozens of new stores throughout Florida — including one that recently opened in Bradenton. The grocer is rumored to be a prime candidate to occupy Barnes & Noble's former Tampa store on North Dale Mabry Highway and has signed a lease at Tyrone Square Mall.

An Aldi spokesman did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.