Publix goes beyond groceries. See what the supermarket just bought for $107M

Publix is buying shopping plazas where the company’s supermarkets are located, moving from tenant to landlord and expanding from food to real estate.

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The Lakeland-based grocery giant appears to be stepping up that strategy in Miami-Dade County.

In October alone, Publix has purchased two shopping centers: one near Miami International Airport and another in Southwest Miami-Dade, spending a total of $107 million.

The properties were sold to Publix by First Washington Realty, a Bethesda, Maryland-based shopping center owner and operator.

The price paid for the Shoppes at Quail Roost was $23.7 million. The property was purchased by a Publix subsidiary.

Publix didn’t respond to questions about the purchases. Earlier this year, a spokesperson told the Miami Herald the company would not discuss its “real estate strategy.”

The supermarket giant paid a record-breaking $83.3 million for its latest purchase, Airpark Plaza at 5715 NW Seventh St., near Miami International Airport. Built in 1971 and renovated in 2005, the shopping center has 171,443 square feet of retail space. In addition to Publix, tenants include Burlington, First Watch, Truist Bank, Subway, Wingstop, TD Bank and Burger King.

The center sits near the Dolphin and Palmetto expressways and Interstate 95, adjacent to the Waterford Blue Lagoon Business District.

The Airpark Plaza purchase price was the largest sale of a suburban shopping center anchored by Publix in Miami-Dade in nearly two decades, according to JLL Capital Markets, which handled the transaction.

The second shopping center Publix acquired this month was The Shoppes at Quail Roost at 20201 SW 127th Ave. The purchase price was not disclosed. The center has 85,055 square feet of retail space and houses a community medical center, a Great Wall of China restaurant and a Gentlemen’s Quarters barbershop. Like Airpark Plaza, the shopping plaza was fully leased when Publix acquired it.

The two Miami-Dade deals appear to be part of a broader push by Publix to acquire shopping centers where its supermarkets are the main anchors. JLL Capital Markets said its Miami-based team recently closed four other transactions involving Publix-anchored shopping centers across Florida, totaling $242.5 million.

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From tenant to landlord

For decades, Publix has been one of the most important tenants in the shopping centers where it has stores. So, what’s driving the company to own the sites?

“More retailers are electing to own their own real estate and Publix is no exception,” said Jorge Portela, senior director of JLL Capital Markets, a real estate investment firm.

There are several advantages to owning the shopping centers, Portela said. Publix can invest in properties it understands, avoid lease-renewal negotiations and potentially significant rent increases, and maintain control of the anchor space while adding commercial real estate to the company’s already substantial business holdings.

Ownership also gives Publix more control over improvements, maintenance and the overall tenant mix. By controlling the surrounding retail space, the company has more say over what types of businesses locate near its supermarkets and guaranteeing it can be the only supermarket in a mall.

The acquisitions also expand Publix’s commercial real estate portfolio, adding another source of value beyond its grocery business.

Grocery stores remain magnets for investors

Publix’s strategy comes as grocery-anchored shopping centers remain highly sought after by commercial real estate investors. JLL said Publix ranks alongside Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s among the country’s most sought-after retail brands.

The appeal is straightforward: Supermarkets generate regular customer traffic, helping support the restaurants, banks, medical offices and other businesses that lease space nearby.

That makes grocery-anchored centers attractive to investors seeking rental income from established tenants. An now Publix is increasingly becoming one of those investors itself.

Publix’s real estate footprint

The Miami-Dade acquisitions add to a series of shopping plazas purchases by Publix across Florida.

Among the properties the company has acquired or is reported to have acquired are Fountains of Boynton in Boynton Beach, purchased for a reported $78 million; Aberdeen Square in Boynton Beach, purchased for $24 million; Polo Club Shops in Boca Raton, purchased for about $83 million; and Hammocks Town Center in Kendall, purchased for about $71.9 million.

Publix has also acquired retail properties in Broward County and other Florida markets, including Lake Mary, Orlando, Windermere, St. Cloud and Fort Myers.

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This story was originally published October 16, 2026 at 10:00 AM.