Lucky’s Market Accelerating Growth In Florida

Lucky’s Market will open at least six new Florida stores in the next 18 months, bringing what it calls a “wider selection of affordable organic, local, specialty and gluten-free items” to the Sunshine State.

Lucky’s currently operates eight stores in Florida—in Gainesville, Naples, Coral Springs, Plantation, Neptune Beach, Orlando, Tallahassee and Melbourne. Over the next year and a half, Lucky’s expects to open units in Sarasota, Panama City and Oakland Park in summer 2017, Port St. Lucie in late 2017, Bonita Springs in early 2018 and St. Petersburg in summer 2018.

Lucky’s includes a variety of specialty foods, including in-house smoked bacon, house-made sausages, fresh seafood, a large selection of fresh and local produce, as well as a bakery. Lucky’s in-house butcher serves “never ever” meats, which have never been treated with antibiotics or artificial growth hormones. Customers also can find a department filled with ready-to-eat meals, made from scratch daily inside the store, as well as fresh grab-and-go sushi options and cheese islands stocked with cheeses from all over the world, according to the Boulder, Colorado-based grocery chain.

Lucky’s Market stores also include juice bars, bulk foods, apothecary departments, beer and wine departments, café areas and the company’s “Sip ‘n Stroll” program, allowing customers to grab a $2 pint of local beer or a $3 glass of wine to enjoy while shopping.

In addition to its Florida stores, Lucky’s currently operates units Boulder, Colorado (two), and Longmont, Colorado; Savannah, Georgia; Iowa City, Iowa; Bloomington, Indiana; Jackson, Wyoming; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Columbia, Rock Hill and Ellisville, Missouri; Billings, Montana; Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky; Columbus, Ohio.

In 2016, The Kroger Co. made a “meaningful investment in Lucky’s, which will significantly accelerate Lucky’s Market’s growth in new and existing markets.” The financial terms of that transaction were not disclosed. The Kroger Co. currently operates one Florida store, in Fernandina Beach, under the Harris Teeter banner.