This Winn-Dixie sat shuttered for a year in a busy mall. Finally, the grocery’s opening
The lights were on but no one was at home.
That teasingly closed Kendall-area Winn-Dixie at 8710 SW 72nd St. in a strip mall off Sunset Drive had been closed since July 2022 after Southeastern Grocers found several roof leaks after a routine inspection.
But a year later, the perpetually lit store’s empty shelves are filled again and the billowing yellow police tape and red “temporarily closed” banners that flapped against the front entrance will be history soon.
That Winn-Dixie store is reopening at 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 12, a company spokesperson told the Miami Herald on Saturday.
Southeastern Grocers, the Jacksonville-based parent company and home of Winn-Dixie, Fresco y Más and Harveys Supermarket grocery stores, said that repairs to the structure, in a mall managed by Kin Properties out of Boca Raton, have been completed.
The company didn’t elaborate on why repairs at the mall’s anchor took so long. The Sunset West Shopping Center’s other anchor, Shinju Japanese Buffet, has maintained its customer base on the other end of the property. The mall also houses a Chase Bank branch, a Chicken Kitchen, bakery, jewelry store and other shops.
How the old Winn-Dixie will look fresher
The retooled Sunset Winn-Dixie store now includes:
▪ An updated facade and more contemporary store signage inside.
▪ Enhanced produce department featuring a new tomato station and an expanded selection of fresh fruits and vegetables.
▪ An improved deli with expanded offerings like “easy lunch and dinner options” including ready to heat or cook meals and a deli sandwich station.
▪ A refreshed meat department.
▪ A new delivery option when shopping online through the Winn-Dixie app and website.
KNOW MORE: Winn-Dixie added curbside pickup in South Florida
Opening perks
The reopening week includes some celebrations.
▪ According to the grocer, the first 500 customers to arrive on Wednesday’s 8 a.m. opening will receive a “free mystery gift card” valued between $5 and $250. Winn-Dixie will also present Feeding South Florida with a $2,000 donation “to give back to the community and support the organization’s local fight against hunger.”
▪ Additionally, Wednesday’s reopening event includes live music, a prize wheel and food sampling until noon.
▪ On Saturday, July 15, from noon to 4 p.m., the Sunset store will host a free community celebration for customers with live entertainment, sampling, free high-end raffles and giveaways.
▪ Customers must be present to win all raffle items, including two $500 gift cards at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., a YETI 65 cooler and accessories at 1 p.m. and a Traeger Grill with grilling accessories at 3 p.m.
▪ The first 500 customers at the Saturday soiree will also receive free mystery gift cards valued between $5 and $250 beginning at noon.
Store hours
The refreshed Sunset store will be open 7 a.m.-midnight daily.
