Lucky's Market to open 8 new Central Florida stores

ORLANDO, Fla. — The market for supermarkets is heating up in Central Florida.

Lucky's Market said on Monday that it will open up eight more stores in the Orlando area next year.

The Colorado-based grocer specializes in organic and gluten-free foods. The stores typically have a cafe area and juice bars.

The grocer currently has a store at East Colonial Drive and North Alafaya Trail near the University of Central Florida.

The company said it will open stores in Orange County's Hunter’s Creek neighborhood in the winter and in south Orlando by the summer or spring.

Stores will be opened in Orange County's Goldenrod neighborhood and in Clermont in winter 2018, the grocer said.

The company said it plans to open three or four more stores in the Orlando area by the end of 2018, but it didn't specify where they will be located.

The supermarket chain is famous for its in-house smoked bacon and house-made sausage.

Shopping carts are outfitted with drink holders so customers may sip on $2 pints of craft beer or $3 glasses of wine while they shop.

The company said it plans to have more than 20 stores statewide within the next two years.

Orlando's supermarket market has been heating up in the past several years with the addition of the Trader Joe's chain and the planned building of a Sprouts Farmers Market store.

At the same time, Winn-Dixie, which has been in the Florida market for decades, has been closing stores as it faces stiffer competition.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Cox Media Group