Tampa’s new Publix GreenWise Market store opening this month

Publix is almost ready to give Tampa another shot of GreenWise.

A much-anticipated Publix GreenWise Market will open in downtown Tampa at 7 a.m. Aug. 19, according to the company. The 26,000-square-foot store is the anchor retail tenant at Heron, the first apartment tower to open at Water Street Tampa, the $3.5 billion downtown development from Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and Bill Gates’s Cascade Investment

The store, located at 555 Channelside Drive, is Tampa’s second store bearing the GreenWise brand; a GreenWise operated in South Tampa’s Hyde Park from 2008 to 2019 before rebranding as a more traditional Publix.

That previous-generation iteration resembles what are now called Publix GreenWise Markets, smaller stores with a focus on organic food, higher-end groceries and more experiential shopping — think acai bowls, fine cheeses and craft beer and wine, which customers can sip while they shop.

Luring a major tenant with a focus on organic and natural foods was a priority for Water Street developers, who have pushed the idea of their development as one focused on the physical and mental well-being of those who live and work there.

Related: New Tampa office tower opens on Water Street with wellness in mind

When the store was announced in 2019, James Nozar, then the CEO of Water Street developers Strategic Property Partners, called it a “critical grocery anchor” for downtown Tampa.

“Our GreenWise partnership reflects (Strategic Property Partners’s) vision of creating a holistic lifestyle by prioritizing access to products that promote health and wellness,” Nozar said.

Related: Tampa Bay area’s first GreenWise Market is heading to Water Street Tampa

Vinik is among a group of investors who have loaned $15 million to the Times Publishing Co., owner of the Tampa Bay Times.

A Publix GreenWise Market opened in Tallahassee in 2018. A new one will open in Tampa on Aug. 19.
A Publix GreenWise Market opened in Tallahassee in 2018. A new one will open in Tampa on Aug. 19. [ Times files (2018) ]

The Tampa store will be the ninth Publix GreenWise Market; a 10th is in the works in St. Augustine. The closest one at the moment sits in Odessa.

It’ll be the second new Tampa Bay Publix opening this month. A 48,387-square-foot store at 30841 Mirada Blvd. in San Antonio is scheduled to open Aug. 12.