Here’s when Whole Foods will open in downtown Fort Lauderdale
Organic grocer Whole Foods is preparing to open its first downtown Fort Lauderdale store by the end of the month.
The grand opening of the chain’s newest South Florida location is scheduled for 7 a.m., Oct. 28, the company recently announced.
The 47,000-square-foot store is on the ground floor of an eight-story, 243-unit apartment tower, called CURV, recently completed at the corner of South Federal Highway and Southeast 17th Street. Tenants began moving into the tower in August.
With prices at CURV ranging from $1,950 for a one-bedroom, one-bath, 748-square-foot unit to $3,710 for a 1,413-square-foot unit with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, Whole Foods is betting its tenants will be a good fit for its high-quality but pricey product lineup.
Mixed-use developments have been growing in popularity because they are designed to be within walking distance of work, shopping and leisure activities. Apartments in buildings with grocery stores are especially popular, according to a recent report by real estate advisers Robert Charles Lesser & Co.
Sharing a building with a premium grocer like a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s boosted average rental prices by 5.8% compared to similar apartments in nearby buildings, the report said.
Publix will also capitalize on the increased demand when it opens another of its organic GreenWise stores on the ground floor of a 341-unit apartment tower, NOVO at Las Olas, at the corner of Southeast Second Street and Southeast Second Avenue, south of East Broward Boulevard. The company has not announced an opening date for the store.
Whole Foods' new store will offer more than 1,200 products sourced from more than 180 Florida suppliers, including Estuary Oysters, which grows its oysters in Apalachee Bay, and Delray Beach-based 5150 Craft Chocolate.
The in-house bakery will serve pastries, pies and cakes from such local bakeries as Cookies by Shar in Davie, Cosa Duci Italian Bakery in Boca Raton and Simply Delicious Bakers in Lauderhill.
Shoppers will find the usual Whole Foods offerings, including a coffee bar with tea, wine and locally produced craft beer; seafood and meat counters with ready-made options like gourmet burgers, marinated shrimp and made-in-house sausages; an extensive sushi bar; and a large array of specialty cheeses.
Because the chain is owned by Amazon, special discounts for Amazon Prime members are offered regularly on select products as well as 10% off hundreds of in-store sale items. Prime members also get free two-hour home delivery.
The new downtown location is only the second in Fort Lauderdale for the chain. The first, at 2000 N. Federal Highway about midway between Oakland Park and Sunrise boulevards, opened in 1997.
Other Whole Foods locations are in Coral Springs, Pompano Beach, Davie, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Pembroke Pines, Aventura and North Miami.
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