Retail Watchers

Looks like Rouses Markets is trying to move to the beach. They've announced plans for a store in Destin in a former Winn Dixie store (which itself was a former Food World store). Here's some info:

Rouses Story (survey to read article)

According to the article, it won't open until 2020.

I'm confused. According to that article:

"Site plan documents obtained by the Daily News indicate that Rouses Markets is the grocer expected to fill the space, but the company said making Destin the home of the chain’s first Florida store is not a done deal.
“As one of the fastest growing family businesses in the country, we naturally receive plenty of site proposals to consider,” Rouses CEO Donny Rouse said in an email. “While we love the Destin community, Rouses does not have a commitment in place to open a store in the area. We look forward to one day expanding into the Florida panhandl​e.”

klkla wrote: ↑February 13th, 2019, 8:14 pm “As one of the fastest growing family businesses in the country, we naturally receive plenty of site proposals to consider,” Rouses CEO Donny Rouse said in an email. “While we love the Destin community, Rouses does not have a commitment in place to open a store in the area. We look forward to one day expanding into the Florida panhandl​e.”

Donny Rouse has published at least a dozen variants of this statement since he became CEO. If their name gets attached, while it may not be a done deal, it's most likely going to happen. They've never not opened a rumored store. In the last 4 years, they've added Mobile, Lake Charles, a third Lafayette area store, Baton Rouge (LeBlanc's) and are also currently finishing a store in New Iberia in the old Kmart building. It's not if, but when.

Rouse's Market entering Florida could be interesting. It is familiar with supermarket competitors Publix and Winn-Dixie. Winn-Dixie is retreating from Louisiana. Publix is growing toward Louisiana.