ROYAL PALM BEACH — Publix Super Markets is continuing to make big investments in Palm Beach County’s western communities . It isn’t merely opening grocery stores. Now it’s buying shopping plazas.
The Lakeland-based chain spent a combined $67 million to purchase Crestwood Plaza in Royal Palm Beach and Woods Walk Plaza near Wellington. Its grocery stores are anchors in both shopping centers.
Will store makeovers follow, similar to those shoppers have seen in Wellington , Westlake and T he Crossroads shopping center in Royal Palm Beach ? Not at the present time, said Lindsey Willis, a Publix spokesperson.
The two shopping plazas are among seven in South Florida that Publix purchased this month for a combined $223 million. That’s in line with the overall mission of Florida’s signature retail chain, a Florida International University professor said.
“Publix is really a real estate company that sells groceries,” said Suzanne Hollander, an attorney teaching real estate law at FIU.