Port St. Lucie’s Retail Growth

Will Costco, Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods ever come to Port St. Lucie?

Feb 18, 2020, by Gil Smart [link]

So, will Costco be coming to Port St. Lucie? It’s not looking good.

What about a natural food store, like Fresh Market or Whole Foods? Or a Trader Joe’s? It’s possible.

But more restaurants, particularly “fast casual” eateries like Chipotle, Five Guys or Panera Bread? They’re practically breaking down the doors to get into Port St. Lucie — so long as they can find the right spot.

And that’s where the city’s retail consultant comes in.

Earlier this month Port St. Lucie City Council signed off on a third year with Retail Strategies, the firm initially hired in 2017 to market the city to retailers and restaurant chains that might be interested in establishing a presence in the rapidly growing town.

“We feel like we really get value” from the city’s relationship with Retail Strategies, Blackburn said at council’s Feb. 10 meeting.

“Rarely do I ever have a conversation with someone that doesn’t know about Port St. Lucie.”

CLAY CRAFT

“I certainly think there’s an opportunity for organic grocers, but we’re seeing a bit of compression in that market — Fresh Market, Whole Foods and others are slowing down a little bit, and Publix and Aldi are buying up a lot of those leases” in Florida.