After years with a limited presence in Central Florida, specialty grocers are beginning to grow again.
Whole Foods Market plans to enter Seminole County with an Altamonte Springs supermarket. The Fresh Market intends to build a store in the future Mills Park development just north of downtown Orlando. Meanwhile, struggling Winn-Dixie has tried making some of its mainstream supermarkets more upscale with fancy amenities and more specialty items.
Craving more-healthful, gourmet foods, Americans have begun doing more shopping away from conventional supermarkets, said Eli Portnoy, a Miami-based brand consultant.
"Consumers are going to these stores for more and more of their total food purchases, as opposed to just specialty items," he said. "That's been a shift. That's why you're seeing an expansion in these given markets."
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