AFB Update: Checking In on the Marketplace

Winn-Dixie #2342

3120 North Woodland Blvd., DeLand, FL - Brandywine Shopping Village

Today's post is a presentation of Volusia County retail

     In August we toured the last original Marketplace Winn-Dixie left in the chain, located in the northern extents of DeLand, Florida. Recently I had the opportunity to revisit the North DeLand Winn-Dixie, and since this store was fresh on our minds, I thought I'd put together this little update post. While I can't report back that a remodel has begun, I did see a few things of note that changed here since my last visit in April 2026. Is it anything indicative of a remodel? That I don't know, but we'll keep our eyes on this place in the coming months to see what happens. For now though, let's take a quick spin around the store to see what's changed in the last 6 months:

     Even for being this old, the store is still being maintained well, something that hasn't changed over the span of my visits to this store through the years.

     Since I forgot to get a photo looking toward the old floral counter during my April visit, here's one to make up for that! The pink tile that indicated the former counter is still in place, just partially blocked by those promo tables.

     Looking down the back wall.

     I can't visit this store without taking another photo of these signs!

     Some of the aisle markers are holding on for dear life these days. I do know of at least one instance where a store with a pre-Down Down interior got "updated" aisle markers from a store that recently closed, so I wonder if that's an "update" that could happen here before a full remodel occurs.

     The windows that looked into the meat and seafood prep area have now been covered over with a large banner ad for beer. This is reminiscent of how Winn-Dixie covered over some of the old pharmacy boxes after what was left of those closed in 2023.

     The topper over the bread shelves just looks like something you'd see in a supermarket straight out of the 1980's.

     While Frozen Foods hasn't changed too much cosmetically since April, I did notice a big issue in this part of the store while I was here:

     The original-from-1982 coffin coolers that occupy the center of the frozen foods department are on their last legs. While these coolers seemed to be in disrepair for a while (see this 2024 photo showing more wet floor signs), the stains on the spill catcher mats seemed to be getting larger and more prevalent, and these wet floor signs appear to be a permanent fixture in this aisle.

     Looking closely at the coffin coolers, they look like they're rusting away from age and disrepair. Being over 40 years old, these coolers are probably difficult to repair, let alone if anyone even makes parts for these anymore.

     Between the rust and the peeling paint, the original orange color of these coolers from when the store first opened has begun to show through. Even if this store doesn't remodel right away, the refrigeration needs to be replaced sooner rather than later. With the glut of surplus fixtures from all the stores Aldi took, you'd think Winn-Dixie could have sent something newer over to this store to replace these dying coolers!

     With the falling apart coolers and all the wet floor signs, Frozen Foods is by far the roughest looking part of the entire store. To clear our minds of that, here's a look at the combined deli/bakery, which is still looking the same as it did 6 months ago.

     Turning the corner, the biggest change since April comes into view...

     At long last, the Winn-Dixie Reading Center has met its end. Sometime in the last few months all the books and magazines were removed in one of this store's quick "spot updates". In place of the reading material, promo displays of drinking material have since replaced it, with a Miller Lite banner serving as a new backdrop in place of the old lit shelves. The strip of wall where the old "Reading Center" lettering used to be was painted over with a fresh coat of white paint. In person the "Reading Center" labelscar is still painfully obvious even after the new paint job, but the labelscar didn't really turn out in photos.

     Here's one final look at the Marketplace - for now - looking across the front end.

    While Winn-Dixie keeps patching things in this store every so often, I still have yet to see any indication of a full remodel happening anytime soon. From the looks of things, Winn-Dixie seems to be done with remodels for 2026, having completed 9 of those earlier this year (one true remodel in Temple Terrace plus the 8 Harvey's conversions, which internally seem to have been considered remodels instead of "new stores"). Heading into October, most retailers tend to not start remodels this late in the year to prevent disruptions to stores during the busy holiday season, so I don't foresee a remodel to this store, or any other Winn-Dixie, happening until January at least (which is when the first few 2026 remodels began). From my understanding there are less than 10 stores left in the chain with a decor older than Down Down, so if the pace of remodels from 2026 copies over to next year, we could see most pre-2016 decor packages disappear by 2027. That's just my prediction, but we'll have to see what 2027 holds for Winn-Dixie, as what we've seen this year appears to just be a taste of bigger things coming in the future. So I'll be keeping my eye on the Marketplace, as it will be interesting to see just how much longer this decor will hold out!

So until the next post,

The Albertsons Florida Blogger