Winn-Dixie | New Smyrna Beach, FL

 

1835 State Road 44

Welcome to the New Smyrna Beach Winn-Dixie!

It's another week in Florida! Last week, we saw one of New Smyrna Beach’s Publix locations. That wasn't the first Publix we've been to; today, though, we'll be taking a look at a Winn-Dixie, the other major grocery store in Florida, for the first time! This particular Winn-Dixie location was opened in 1996 as a replacement for the original store in town, which was only 12 years old at the time. As you can tell from the outside, this is one of the many Winn-Dixie stores from that time period to be of the "Marketplace" model, and it retained that decor until a remodel to "Down Down" in 2018. Okay, enough links! Let's go inside!

We enter in the middle of the store, with the grand aisle being on the right. Here we see a cart corral and a welcome sign with some nice photos of vintage Winn-Dixie stores and beach scenes.

The "sand & surf" department, with lots of beach toys and New Smyrna Beach souvenirs, operates in the former photo lab. It was removed by the time they filed for bankruptcy in 2005 and later used for random general merchandise, but now serves a more specific purpose.

The produce department and floral section are both in the front right corner of the store. As you will see throughout the tour, this store was really empty, unlike the Publix.

Wine and beer are located next to the floral area. While some stores with the Down Down decor have pretty much entirely red walls, this store has quite a lot of variety, with this department being a dark gray and the service departments having wood paneling.

All the usual fresh departments here: deli, kitchen, seafood, and butcher. For being The Beef People, Winn-Dixie sure doesn't have a lot of people at the butcher counter (or any counter, for that matter). The majority of the employees at the store were stocking. I guess I'm expecting a store near the beach in the middle of July in the afternoon to be packed, but this is pretty much the off-season for Florida beaches.

A few aisles were taken out during the remodel to add the Dollar Shop. But I see quite a few things for sale here that are more than a dollar.

Looking down the second half of aisle 4 towards the front of the store.

Taking up the rest of the back wall are the packaged meats. Here you can see some of the Marketplace flooring left over.

Frozen foods are in roughly the middle of the store. It's interesting to see coffin coolers still in place here, since those definitely had their heyday in the '90s when this store had first opened.

The last aisle is home to milk and dairy.

I also happened to notice that Winn-Dixie's new house label, Know & Love, has spread to the dairy aisle. I believe the first product to undergo the rebrand were Winn-Dixie's famed wood chips. The Know & Love brand will replace the SE Grocers label, which is still seen in most of the store.

And the BAKERY BAKERY is in the front corner at the end of the dairy department, away from the other service counters. Here's how this department looked with the old decor. As Albertsons Florida Blog noted for My Florida Retail, this was the only department with working neon signage by the time the remodel was imminent.

This store doesn't have a pharmacy, but it does have a good selection of health and beauty. The former pharmacy department was right across from here, and has since been walled over.

Customer service and the checkout lanes as we leave this store. I wonder how many times I've said that.

As we pull out of Coast Plaza, here's a look at the roadside sign for this shopping center. The vast majority of people coming to this shopping center are definitely here for Winn-Dixie.

Other Images of Interest

Street View Images

2016

This store was definitely a lot different back in 2016, with a white paint job and 2005 logo on the exterior, and '90s Marketplace decor and a pharmacy on the interior.

Nearby competition

0.3 miles away: Publix of New Smyrna Beach

This Winn-Dixie has been going head-to-head with a Publix across the street for most of its time operating here. Publix first opened at this location in 1987, nine years before Winn-Dixie relocated. The original store closed in August 2018 and was demolished, being replaced by a new store in June 2019. The Winn-Dixie remodeled during that time.

3.1 miles away: Publix of Indian River Village

The other New Smyrna Beach Publix is located down the road in the Indian River Village center. In true Publix fashion, it has also been demolished and rebuilt, originally opening in 1976 before closing for demolition in 2002 and reopening later that year.

Thank you for joining me on this Winn-Dixie tour! I thought it seemed like a totally average supermarket. I found almost everything I was looking for, and the cashier was even more friendly than anyone I've met at Publix before. And even though it was a little eerie walking through the quiet and empty store as "Sunny Came Home" played in the background, I still thought this seemed like a nice store, and I do like the decor. See you next week! The Retail Connection: It's a Winn win.

Publix | New Smyrna Beach, FL

 

709 E. 3rd Ave

Welcome to the Indian River Village Publix!

Once again, we're in the Sunshine State! And you can't stay in Florida without going to Publix. So, today, we'll be taking a tour of one of the three Publix locations in the town of New Smyrna Beach, located about 15 miles south of Daytona Beach. Publix first opened a location in this shopping center on June 23, 1976. They closed the store on July 8, 2002, and soon after demolished and rebuilt it, with the new location opening not much later on December 12, 2002. A fun fact about this store is that former Publix CEO and current executive chairman Todd Jones began his career with the company as a bagger at this store in 1980. Thanks to Albertsons Florida Blog for all of that info! This is our first time at a Publix since last February, so let's head inside and check this store out...

We enter on the left side of the store, with the pharmacy up on the front wall next to the entrance. This store has Publix's current decor, known as Evergreen. It previously had Sienna/Classy Market 3.0, and I would think it opened with Metallic Marketplace, but don't quote me on that.

A small floral department is next to the pharmacy. While I don't hate this decor, it's definitely pretty gray (especially for a decor called Evergreen).

The deli and bakery departments are in the front corner as we transition to the right side of the store. The deli department was already quite busy for mid-morning.

Across from the deli department is a soda fountain, which isn't unusual at all for Publix, but I definitely don't see it at supermarkets in my area.

The large produce department is in the back right corner. Now we're seeing green!

While the deli and bakery departments are pretty big, the seafood counter on the back wall is quite small.

The meat department takes up much of the back wall. The white meat cases go well with this decor, but they seem pretty dated compared to darker ones.

Aisle 8, with various items that can be read and other general merchandise.

And the last aisle of the store contains dairy and frozen items. There's a small beach section at the end of this aisle. This is the town's closest supermarket to the beach (a Winn-Dixie and another Publix are further back, a Food Lion-turned-Dollar General Market is to the south, and a Walmart Supercenter is on the other side of I-95).

Now we're checking out of this store and probably chatting with our cashier and bagger. Publix definitely has the friendliest employees out of any supermarket chain I've been to.

And, before we go, here's a look at the Publix Liquors located in one of the neighboring strips. Publix is a co-anchor of this center, along with Bealls (making it a very Floridian plaza).

Other Images of Interest

Street View Images

2019

Prior to the remodel to Evergreen, this store definitely had a more vibrant color scheme.

Nearby competition

2.5 miles away: Dollar General Market of New Smyrna Beach

This store's geographically closest competition is this Dollar General Market on South Atlantic Avenue. It opened on November 19, 2012 as the first such store in the Daytona Beach area. The store was originally a SuperX Food & Drug in the mid '80s, and was acquired by Food Lion in the late '80s before closing in February 2012.

3.4 miles away: Winn-Dixie of New Smyrna Beach

Next week, we'll be taking a tour of the New Smyrna Beach Winn-Dixie, which opened in 1996 as a "Marketplace" store replacing their previous location in town from 1984. People driving into NSB from I-95 will drive past this store before this Publix, but the latter seemed more popular.

4.6 miles away: Aldi of New Smyrna Beach

The New Smyrna Beach Aldi opened on August 4, 2016, on formerly empty land. This store lost a close competitor last August when Aldi acquired Winn-Dixie, making them sister stores.

Thank you for joining me on this tour! This was a pretty nice Publix, and I always love going to unfamiliar stores. I have been to other Publix locations before, but the only one I really remember is the one in Orlando that we toured in February, and that's a small-format store, unlike this one. Join me next week as we head to the Winn-Dixie in town! The Retail Connection: Where Shopping is a Pleasure.

ShopRite | Marmora, NJ

 

4 Roosevelt Blvd.

Welcome to the Marmora ShopRite!

We're finally back down the shore again! Only for one week, until we're headed to a different shore (which you'll learn about next week)... but for now, let's take a look at this great ShopRite! It's owned by Village Super Markets and opened on May 31, 2009 as anchor of a new shopping center. Marmora isn't a beach town, but it's only a few miles away from Ocean City, so it does very well as an alternative to the two Acmes in OC. Let's take a look inside!

The main entrance is in this tower that kind of reminds me of a Price Chopper (which ShopRite has operated in before).

Upon entering, we see an expansive produce department with a cool lighting feature hanging above it. While this store is very nice, I was surprised to learn that it opened in 2009, because, to me, it felt more like a store from the mid-late '90s.

The customer service department and the bakery are on either side of the entrance area. As you can see, this store has a somewhat more deluxe version of the Village decor seen in Vineland, with more artwork and signage.

Bistro Street is on the right wall across from the bakery, along with Blueprint Subs and Salads. This store has quite a large prepared foods section, as well as a salad bar (which aren't seen in a ton of supermarkets these days).

The most popular part of the store was undeniably the deli counter, with more recent signage promoting ShopRite's Black Bear of the Black Forest brand.

Being so close to the ocean, this ShopRite has a large seafood department.

Custom cuts and the service meat counter are on the back wall next to the seafood counter. The signage for service meat here fits in with the rest of the store better than Vineland's did, but even still, it isn't totally the same as the other signs.

A look at the back of the store. The aisle markers here are very far away from the aisles, for some reason.

Here's a look at aisle 13, with laundry detergent and other household items. The general grocery aisles are under a drop ceiling.

The dairy department is in the back corner on this side of the store. Frozen foods are in the aisles across from here. Also, I could totally see that "MILK · JUICE" signage being in a collection of liminal spaces photos. If only I had brought an old digital camera to this store.

More dairy items in the last aisle, aisle 20, of the store.

The Village Pharmacy Market is at the end of aisle 20 on the store's front wall, ready to fill any prescriptions you may need while on vacation on 4th of July Weekend.

The checkout setup is quite similar to Vineland, just much bigger. In case I didn't say so already, this store feels really big.

YOU'RE WELCOME

Other Images of Interest

Street View Images

2019

Obviously not the best beach day here.

Nearby competition

2.3 miles away: Acme of Ocean City

While sadly we won't be touring the Simpson Avenue Acme in Ocean City, at least for a few weeks, I definitely recommend reading Acme Style's post about it. In addition to the Santa Fe-meets-PF&H decor (which I believe it still has today), it's notable for being the only pitched-roof Acme that was expanded, but left the pitched roof in-tact, as you can see on the left side of the store. Acme has another location in Ocean City on West Avenue that they acquired from A&P (SuperFresh) in 2015. That store now has Quality Built.

Well, that's all for this tour! Like I said a few times in this post, I thought this was a really nice store, just like Vineland, the other Village store that I've been to. The store was also slamming busy on the day I visited (though it was also July 5, so...), and I noticed some pretty good sales. I'm also a fan of the decor, especially the nicer version this store has. By the time you're reading this post, I'm probably already on the way to my next destination, and we'll be touring stores there starting next week! And if you're reading this months in the future, just click ahead to the next post! Have a great weekend! The Retail Connection: Check out happy.