Save-A-Lot Finds Market

You can get anything you want at Save-a-Lot.

It's just that you can't get the endless variations of products available at full-scale grocery stores such as Publix or Sweetbay.

That is a guiding principle that lets the discount grocery promote itself as a far less expensive option to its bigger, more elaborate rivals.

A report from food industry analyst Willard Bishop says that business model is gaining traction nationally, although spokeswoman Shannon Patten with Publix – the full-scale, traditional grocery store chain that dominates Southwest Florida – said that her company's superior customer service and generous coupon and two-for-one programs create just as much value.

But with two new Fort Myers locations this year joining a longtime Save-A-Lot in North Fort Myers, that chain is making a strong move into this market and looking to expand further, said Bill Reners, operations manager for Jerry Foods, the Minneapolis-based licensee that owns the local stores.

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