City Council members Ju'Coby Pittman and Reggie Gaffney, Southeastern Grocers CEO Anthony Hucker, Office of Economic Development Executive Director Kirk Wendland, Council member Joyce Morgan and employees cut the ribbon.
Customers line up around Winn-Dixie to shop at the store, which opened at 8 a.m. Wednesday. Some arrived as early as 5 a.m.
Southeastern Grocers CEO Anthony Hucker addresses the crowd at the grand opening of the Gateway Town Center Winn-Dixie.
The produce section inside the Gateway Town Center Winn-Dixie.
The store features a deli, hot bar and grab-and-go meal options.
The bakery section in the Brentwood Winn-Dixie.
Council member Samuel Newby handed out gift cards to the first 500 shoppers at the Gateway Town Center Winn-Dixie soon after it opened at 8 a.m.
The Winn-Dixie at Gateway Town Center opened to the public at 8 a.m. Feb. 12.
The Gateway Town Center in Brentwood is home to an operating grocery store again, as of 8 a.m. Feb. 12.
Customers lined up around the building, nearly out to Norwood Avenue, for a chance to be one of the first 500 customers at the store and receive a gift card for up to $500.
Some lined up at the store as early as 5 a.m.
Publix Super Markets Inc. announced in October it wouldn’t renew its lease in the shopping center after being there for 20 years.
In November, Winn-Dixie announced it would lease the 28,120-square-foot space at 5210 Norwood Ave., and received $850,000 in city financial incentives to offset costs associated with redeveloping the property.
Build-out for the store began in early January, soon after Publix closed Dec. 28. Winn-Dixie would not disclose the build-out cost.
It is Winn-Dixie’s first store opening in seven years, said Southeastern Grocers President and CEO Anthony Hucker at the store’s ribbon-cutting ceremony Feb. 12.
“While other grocers would desert Brentwood, Councilman (Reggie) Gaffney called up and said, ‘Would you prevent this from turning into a food desert?’ We said absolutely,” Hucker said. “This is our home … We are proud to invest in this community.”
The store includes a produce section, a deli with grab-and-go options, a hot bar with rotisserie chicken, a wing bar, an expanded bakery section, gluten-free and organic products, a full-service meat department, a seafood section, beer and wine, a health and beauty section and a floral department.
Winn-Dixie hired 120 workers to staff the store, of which 108 are new Winn-Dixie employees.
The store is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
