Publix picks up two suburban Tampa shopping centers
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Nov 6, 2023

Publix Super Markets Inc. has added two shopping centers in the Tampa suburbs to its real estate portfolio.

An entity linked to the Lakeland-based grocer paid $38 million for the Publix-anchored Lake Brandon Plaza shopping center at 11255 Causeway Blvd. in Brandon. The same entity also paid $24.9 million for the Publix-anchored portion of North Pointe Plaza, which is at 15001 N. Dale Mabry Highway in the Carrollwood area.

The seller of both properties was Ohio-based Site Centers, a publicly traded real estate investment trust that specializes in shopping centers. Both sales closed in October but were filed in Hillsborough County property records in early November.

Lake Brandon Plaza is home to several other retailers besides Publix, including Total Wine and More. The purchase does not include the outparcel restaurants that front the shopping center along Causeway Boulevard.

At North Pointe Plaza, Publix acquired its own real estate as well as the portion of the shopping center that includes Five Below and Staples. Walmart Inc., Publix's biggest competitor in Florida, owns its store immediately adjacent to Five Below.

Publix strategically acquires shopping centers where it is the anchor tenant throughout the Southeast, reshaping the retail real estate market.