When Food Lion shut its remaining 20 area grocery stores early this year, Rob Rowe was ready to shop.
“When they closed, we went looking,” said the veteran supermarket operator.
With two Rowe’s Supermarkets up and operating already, Rowe was in the market for more. He settled on two of the newly closed Food Lions.
The one at Dunn Avenue and New Kings Road opened this past week as the third Rowe’s Supermarket and another in Orange Park along Wells Road should become the fourth Rowe’s about Aug. 1
There could be more. Rowe said he will “work on whatever makes sense.”
Rowe, who turns 50 on June 27, has decades of corporate experience with the Albertsons and Winn-Dixie chains and first ventured into operating Rowe’s Supermarkets seven years ago.
He launched his business with the 2005 acquisition of seven closed Albertsons stores, selling one site and opening six Rowe’s Supermarkets.
It wasn’t easy. He faced grand-opening challenges, such as with the computerized cash-register system. He learned from the experience.
“Nothing is easy. If it was, everybody would do it,” he said.
One by one, he sold five of the stores, retaining the one at Blanding Boulevard and 103rd Street. He works with the IGA system, a brand for independent grocery chains.
Two years ago, he ventured out again and opened a second Rowe’s IGA at a former Food Lion at Beach and Southside boulevards.
Then came the opportunity for the Dunn Avenue store.
Rowe created separate limited liability companies to own each store. He declined to say how much he has invested and said he is working with The Jacksonville Bank.
Rowe said he hired about 75 people at both the Dunn Avenue and Beach Boulevard stores and employs about 90 at the larger Blanding Boulevard location.
The Northwest Jacksonville store was a quiet opening. Rowe said he put up “coming soon” signs and then the grand-opening banners.
“It’s the way I am,” he said.
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