Sweetbay Supermarkets opened its first store in Largo, Florida in November 2004. Today there are 107 stores as far South as Naples and North to Gainesville.

Tampa-based Sweetbay Supermarket will close seven underperforming grocery stores, including three in Hillsborough County, advised a company spokesman for Belgian parent, Delhaize Group. The remaining four stores targeted for closing are in Fort Myers, Sarasota and Charlotte County.

The three Hillsborough stores are located at 1247 Kingsway Road in Brandon, 1101 Bloomingdale Ave. in Valrico, and 789 Cortaro Drive in Wimauma near Sun City.

Sweetbay plans to open three new area stores in 2009. One is in Hillsborough on Bruce B Downs, another is in Tarpon Springs and the third is in Clermont, a western suburb of Orlando. Sweetbay employs about 8,500, and currently operates 108 stores, including 47 in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, with another six in Pasco.

Sorry to see you go, I liked the store on Bloomingdale, but the store in FishHawk Ranch is still open.

Dave Tipton, Broker, GRI, e-Pro, SRES, Florida's Beautiful Homes- Realtors 

813-653-1241