Looks like Earth Fare is expanding. They'll be taking over the old WD space, currently partially occupied by wood you furniture, on San Jose in Mandarin. Earth Fare already has a location on Atlantic in East Arlington.
QuoteWood You Furniture is relocating its Mandarin store in two weeks, moving from the Mandarin South shopping center where the store owners say Earth Fare will open a grocery store.
Dawn Blankenship, who owns Jacksonville-based Wood You Furniture with her husband, Brett, said they have leased space for about five years in the center at 11700 San Jose Blvd.
Their last day there will be Feb. 20. They will open Feb. 23 about 3 miles north at 10100 San Jose Blvd.
Books-A-Million real estate subsidiary Preferred Growth Properties LLC bought the Mandarin South shopping center in July 2014. Blankenship said Preferred Growth Properties representative Bear Burnett told her and her husband that Earth Fare had signed a lease there.
http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=547022
Hopefully they wont over speculate on their staffing requirements this time.
The layoffs at Atlantic North were due to "slow growth".
There's definitely some competition in the area. Within about 4 miles there's:
Winn Dixie
3 Publix stores
Whole foods
Fresh market
Native Sun
I like going to their store on Atlantic but they never seem very busy aside from maybe Saturday afternoon.