The Publix Super Market at The Shoppes at Verdana Village along Corkscrew Road near Estero anchors the shopping center purchased by the grocery chain for $26 million on Oct. 29. The 78,000-square-foot retail center, developed by WMG Development, opened in April 2024.
WMG Development
As Lee County’s population pushes inland and eastward, major retailers like Publix and Target are following.
The two retail giants have each invested millions in real estate to accommodate customers of the present and future, with separate, unrelated deals sharing the same closing date of Oct. 29.
Publix paid $26 million for the completed shopping center known as The Shoppes at Verdana Village, according to the deed filed with the Lee County Clerk of Court. REAL Sub LLC, the Publix-owned company, purchased the site from The Shoppes at Verdana Village LLC, which is owned by WMG Development.
Verdana Village is a community developed by Cameratta Companies off Corkscrew Road, east of Interstate 75 near Estero. The area has experienced rapid population growth in recent years, prompting construction of the Publix, which opened in April 2024.
WMG Development is a Winter Garden-based company that frequently collaborates with Publix, building new stores and then leasing them back to the Lakeland-based grocery chain until it’s ready to purchase them.
WMG Development also built The Shoppes at Orange Blossom in Naples.
Jim Shiebler, senior vice president at CBRE, did not broker either of these two real estate deals. But he follows retail real estate and said Publix fits right in with Verdana Village.
“They generally own their own building and a small strip of complementary tenants that provide synergy,” Shiebler said. “Shoppers can get their hair cut or their nails done or ship an envelope on the same shopping trip. It’s complementary. It’s a one-stop location.”
Publix shoppers also tend to have relatively higher incomes, he said. The shopping centers aren’t necessarily luxury, but they are elevated.
“One, it’s high class,” Shiebler said. “And two, there won’t be any other large units in the center. The tenants have to have a certain level of prestige, reputation and elegance.”
Target, the Minneapolis-based retail chain, paid $9 million for a 20.95-acre parcel at the southeast corner of Daniels Parkway and State Road 82, across from Lehigh Acres and also in unincorporated Lee County.
Target acquired the lot from GB Lehigh II, a subsidiary of The Sembler Co., which is based in St. Petersburg and specializes in developing retail centers.
Target could not be reached for comment on the timetable to build and open the store. It will be the anchor tenant of a shopping center to be known as Creekside Marketplace. The Target will be situated on the northeastern side of the site, while a separate, adjacent southern portion still owned by Sembler is labeled “medical tract.” That parcel measures 9.41 acres, according to the site plan.
A locator map highlights the site of Creekside Marketplace at the southeast corner of Daniels Parkway and State Road 82 in eastern Lee County. Target purchased a 20.95-acre parcel for $9 million at the planned shopping center, near the Timber Creek community and proposed Daniels Creek development.
The Sembler Co.
Adjacent to the site, a community of about 1,600 homes called Daniels Creek is being planned, giving the future Target a one-two punch of Lehigh Acres and nearby residents as potential shoppers who won’t have to drive 7 to 12 miles to the next-closest Target.
“They all have to drive … to go to a major retailer,” Shiebler said. “There is an underserved layer of retailers, specifically boxes and restaurants. You have somewhat of bifurcated communities.”
Lehigh Acres tends to have a lower income level than the master-planned communities coming online on the south side of State Road 82, Shiebler said, but the sheer volume of potential shoppers created enough reasons to build the Target.
On the other side of the intersection of Daniels Parkway and State Road 82, a separate shopping center to be called Gateway Marketplace is under construction. This will include a Home Depot hardware store with a garden center and a McDonald’s restaurant.
“Lehigh Acres has significant land availability and lower overall land and home costs,” Shiebler said. “There are some very exclusive and private, master-planned communities south of State Road 82. You essentially have two different types of population demographics — which will serve the concentration of necessary retailers for the Lehigh Acres community.”