Harris Teeter ceremonially broke ground April 24 in the Atlantic North shopping center in East Arlington, marking the next step in the grocery store chain’s return to Jacksonville.
The company said it expects to open the store in spring 2027.
Preliminary construction work at 11901 Atlantic Blvd. is underway.
The new store is between Academy Sports + Outdoors and LA Fitness.
Harris Teeter President Tammy DeBoer said at a groundbreaking event April 24 the company is looking for expansion opportunities throughout Florida.
“We’re really looking at key markets throughout the state,” DeBoer said. “So right now, we’re looking at various locations throughout Jacksonville with more plans to be involved.”
Toney Sleiman, CEO of Atlantic North developer Sleiman Enterprises, said at the event that he intends to bring more Harris Teeters to Florida.
“We’re going to do more Harris Teeters throughout the whole state, so they’re coming, and we’re going to do some in Jacksonville,” he said.
Tarpon Springs-based Hawkins Construction is the contractor for the Jacksonville project.
Harris Teeter announced the store in November 2025.
The city issued a site-clearing permit Feb. 12, 2026, at a project cost of $950,000 and a construction permit March 13 for the 61,204-square-foot grocery store at a project cost of $3 million.
It issued a permit March 16 for a 3,010-square-foot Harris Teeter liquor store next door at a project cost of $1 million.
Harris Teeter also is working toward the fueling center it announced with its new Atlantic North shopping center grocery store. The St. Johns River Water Management District is reviewing a permit modification filed April 8 for the “Atlantic North Fuel Center” at 11506 Atlantic Blvd., across from the Atlantic North center.
Based in Matthews, North Carolina, Harris Teeter previously operated stores in Jacksonville’s Mandarin neighborhood, which closed in 2004, and in Ponte Vedra Beach, which closed in 2006.
The Kroger Co., based in Cincinnati, bought Harris Teeter Supermarkets in January 2014.
“Our brand has evolved since then. Today, what we’ll be bringing to the market is significantly different than what we had before. So it will be more specialty, with a lot more amenities than what we had delivered previously,” DeBoer said.
Its only Florida store is in Nassau County at 4800 First Coast Highway in the Shops at Amelia Market in Fernandina Beach.
Jacksonville offerings are expected to include a full-service wine and beer bar, Starbucks coffee shop, full-service floral department, fresh pizza, Murray’s Cheese island, Asian hot bar, fresh cakes and breads, pick-up service and the fuel station, according to Harris Teeter.
The company estimates it will hire 100 to 200 employees.
As of April 24, 2026, Harris Teeter’s website said the company operated 256 stores and about 60 fuel centers in Florida, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C.