Publix buys its real estate in downtown Tampa's Channel district
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay
Published: Dec 17, 2018

Publix Super Markets Inc. has acquired its new store in downtown Tampa's Channel district from the developers who built it.

The Lakeland-based grocer paid $7.69 million for the 37,600-square-foot store, which fronts Meridian Avenue between Twiggs and Madison streets. It is part of the Channel Club, a development that also includes a 21-story apartment tower.

The developer is a joint venture between Tampa's Mercury Advisors and Atlanta-based ECI Group.

The apartment tower opened to residents in November. The Publix store is expected to open in the second quarter of 2019, a Publix spokesman said.

The Channel district Publix has been hailed as a transformative development for downtown Tampa. Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn championed the store as a watershed moment for the city's revitalization efforts.

"This really drives homes the reality that downtown Tampa has become a place to live, work and play," Buckhorn said in 2015.

Publix has been buying more and more of its real estate in recent years, accelerating its acquisitions of stores and shopping centers beginning in 2008. Read more about its real estate strategy here.