The Winn-Dixie store in Cutler Bay which has been undergoing renovations and a new store concept had its official reopening on Wednesday, Aug. 7 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and special reopening festivities on Saturday, Aug. 10.
The changes were done in response to customers who asked for an improved shopping experience. The store also donated $1,000 to Miami Southridge Senior High and established a partnership to support the school in activities through the year.
Cutler Bay Mayor Tim Meerbott attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony with Winn-Dixie officials. The community celebration on Aug. 10 featured live entertainment, famil-friendly activities, giveaways and food sampling.
Lorenzo Rodriguez, store manager at the Cutler Bay Winn-Dixie, said that the store remained open throughout the remodeling process.
“I feel great; it’s exciting, we have a lot of new items — the natural organics, the café, the dollar shop,” Rodriguez said. “We did most of the work at night and tried to be out of the customers’ way, and now we have a big beautiful store for everyone.”
Jorge Cabo, regional vice president for South Florida Winn-Dixie, was pleased with the changes.
“We’re really excited to do this for Cutler Bay,” Cabo said. “Winn-Dixie has served the community for 34 years. We get a lot of feedback from our customers and they asked us for the natural organics and a variety of different items or the store and we’re really excited about how the store presents a fresh new look. We’d like to invite the community to come out and look.”
Gueorgui Lago, district manager, South Florida Winn-Dixie, was also present at both events.
New features include:
● New façade signage and a fresh, contemporary color palate and modern store signage inside.
● Newly updated farm-fresh produce department with an expanded selection of fruits and vegetables, including organic varieties.
● Newly expanded deli with more grab-and-go meal options for added convenience, including a soup bar and sandwiches.
● Expanded bakery department with new selections, displays and fresh bread daily.
● New Natural & Organic section offering more than 1,700 items including a large selection of gluten-free and allergen-free products, only available at Winn-Dixie.
● Upgraded meat case, featuring custom cut-to-order meats, and fresh, ready-to-grill options.
● Expanded seafood department, offering shoppers a variety of fresh seafood on ice, additional frozen seafood assortments, as well as the “Seafood Made Easy” option where customers can choose the type of seafood, vegetables and seasoning to be packaged together for easy preparation at home.
● New Health and Beauty section with expanded offerings.
● New café with seating area serving coffee, pastries and sandwiches.
● Updated floral department to help customers find the perfect bouquet for any occasion.
● New Dollar Shop section with almost 900 items to provide customers with the convenient items they look for the most at incredible prices.
● Expanded grocery selection with additional products and assortments.
Grace, a long time customer, had praise for the changes to her favorite store.
“The store is beautiful,” she said. “It’s very nice…the associates, the managers, everyone. The service here is better than the other stores in the area and the revamping looks really great.”
Winn-Dixie is located at 19167 S Dixie Hwy., Cutler Bay, FL 33157.
