New grocer headed for Westfield Southgate?

Something fresh may be headed for the vacant Dillard’s anchor spot at Westfield Southgate mall: organic produce.

Colorado-based Lucky’s Market is the latest name to hit the retail rumor mill surrounding the revitalization of Westfield Southgate. The company, whose slogan is “organic for the 99 percent,” has a strong emphasis on local products and operates under the principle that good food shouldn’t have to be expensive.

In general, it’s a Whole Foods Market experience without the feeling that you’re spending a whole paycheck.

Lucky’s has been rumored to be scouting the Sarasota area for some time.

The empty 96,000-square-foot Dillard’s site at Southgate, which is separately owned by Manatee County-based Benderson Development Co., has sat vacant since the department chain jumped ship and opened a new store at the Mall at University Town Center in 2014. A lawsuit settled this year says Benderson must start filling the gaps in during 2017 or Westfield will be allowed to purchase the property.

So we’re expecting some movement at the Dillard’s site soon, or at least more than we’ve seen in the past two years.

LA Fitness has already called dibs on 37,000 square feet of the anchor and it should open in the spring. The lawsuit records indicate Naples-based Clive Daniel Home is interested in 33,000 square feet of the space.

That hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it would leave 26,000 square feet for a third attraction.

And the “sweet spot” for a typical Lucky’s is just a little larger than that remainder at 30,000-square-feet, according to the company’s real estate profile. The grocer also has a reputation for moving into vacant, highly visible spaces rather than building their own from the ground up.

It’s a likely fit. But even though word has trickled down to some nearby merchants and I heard it first-hand in an off-the-cuff comment from a Benderson official — it’s all still hearsay.

We’ve seen rumored projects, like the Dick’s Sporting Goods at Westfield Sarasota Square and the Bass Pro Shops at Fruitville Road and Interstate 75, fizzle out in the past.

So I’m not putting all my money on the organic grocer yet, even if I am feeling a bit … lucky.