It isn’t for lack of demand that mega-retailor Walmart is just now beginning to expand across South Florida. According to the Miami Herald, the Walmart supercenters in Hialeah Gardens and Doral regularly rank within the top three to five Walmarts in the U.S.; yet in terms of South Florida grocers, Walmart ranks third in market share behind Winn-Dixie and Publix.
But Walmart’s position among South Florida’s grocery vendors may soon change. Walmart is currently set to invest $380 million in South Florida over the next two years. It is also making efforts to push into the downtown Miami market, opening its first urban Miami location at 6991 SW Eighth Street in Flagami, the site of the former Everglades Lumber store.
“They’re really trying to make a statement in South Florida,” Jimmy Tate, the developer of the Everglades Lumber yard Walmart Neighborhood Market, said. “They’ve definitely been missing the boat in the past, but now they’re really focused down here. Walmart is looking to increase its presence here across the board. I think they’re going to challenge a lot of the local supermarkets.” [Miami Herald] — Christopher Cameron