Detwiler's, the local, family-owned grocer, plans to open a new store in North Port in late 2028—a milestone that would make the location its first store built entirely from the ground up, its southernmost market and its largest store to date.

The company has signed a lease for a 52,000-square-foot standalone store that will anchor a new retail center on a 35-acre parcel at the northwest corner of Sumter Boulevard and I-75. The site, at 5001 N. Sumter Blvd., is being developed by The Sentinel Fund, a commercial real estate investment firm. The developer is also in talks with additional national retailers, according to the City of North Port. The project is expected to create 125 jobs and the site plan application is under review by city staff.

The store is planned for one of Sarasota County’s fastest-growing communities. North Port had an estimated 96,551 residents as of July 1, 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, up from 74,793 at the 2020 census.

The North Port store will include the company’s familiar departments, including produce, deli, bakery, seafood, meat and grocery items. Detwiler’s says the larger footprint will allow for expanded offerings, an enhanced layout and a more immersive farm market shopping experience, though the company has not yet released the store’s actual square footage.

The news continues a new period of growth for Detwiler’s, which started as a roadside produce stand in the early 2000s and has since become one of the region’s most recognizable grocery brands. The company lists six locations in the Sarasota area: three in Sarasota, one in Venice, one in Palmetto and one in Bradenton.

That growth has often come through adaptation. Detwiler’s opened its first store on Palmer Boulevard in 2009, later expanded to Venice, University Parkway, Palmetto, Clark Road and West Bradenton, and has also announced plans for another store in Braden River Plaza in a former Winn-Dixie space.

The North Port project is different because it will be built from scratch rather than adapted from an existing grocery space. For a company whose stores have grown out of farm stands, former supermarkets and repurposed buildings, the Sumter Boulevard location gives Detwiler’s a chance to design around the shopping experience from the beginning.

The company has also been building the infrastructure to support more stores. In 2024, Detwiler’s broke ground on a 133,000-square-foot distribution center in Palmetto’s Florida International Tradeport, a Benderson Development industrial park, to serve its stores and support the volume of fresh food moving through the business. The facility later opened in 2025 as a hub for Detwiler's six stores and future growth.

The move also puts Detwiler’s deeper into a city that has been adding residents rapidly, with more demand for everyday retail closer to home. Once viewed as the quieter southern stretch of Sarasota County, North Port has become a major growth center, helped by its size, available land and relative affordability compared with coastal Sarasota.

More details, including hiring information and grand opening plans, will be released as construction progresses.