Total Wine & More is making a move this fall that will expand its North Naples retail space by more than 150%. After operating for 15 years in Carillon Place on the southeast corner of Airport-Pulling and Pine Ridge roads, the liquor superstore chain with a wine focus is packing up and relocating to the former Lucky’s Market space less than a mile north on the southwest corner of Airport-Pulling and Naples Boulevard.
Lucky’s Market operated there for less than a year before the company declared bankruptcy and shuttered most of its locations in early 2020. That same Promenade at Naples Centre address, 6424 Naples Blvd., Ste. 601, previously was Wild Oats Market from 2007 to 2008 before sitting vacant for more than a decade.
At 29,349 square feet, the former grocery store is significantly larger than Total Wine’s 19,000-square-foot North Naples store the chain opened in 2007. The existing store is smaller than Total Wine’s average space while the new location will be a bit on the larger side for its stores, which can be between 20,000 and 35,000 square feet, said Edward Cooper, the company’s vice president of public affairs and community relations. 
“That allows us to increase space for a greater selection. It enables us to have greater variety,” said Cooper, noting that the retailer’s beverage baseline boasts more than 8,000 wines, 4,500 distilled spirits and nearly 3,000 different beers. “The customer experience will be different in this store the way that it’s set up. That will add greater convenience for the customer.”
The upgraded store will have a wine education center, a distilled spirits section and a brewery district tasting station for beers. “We have opportunities for us in the new store to have the next generation of tasting stations,” Cooper said. “There’s a classroom in that store that has the latest and greatest high tech so we could host consumer classes in there and team-member training and other consumer events such as a virtual tasting.”
Expect tasting events hosted by local brewers, too. “We are really good at being local in the location that we serve,” Cooper said. “Naples is well known for wine, and we know that we are in a pretty good craft beer environment with burgeoning spirits in that area.”
A privately held company owned by two brothers and their families, Maryland-based Total Wine & More prides itself on its selection, customer service and price. “We strive to be the price leader in every market we’re in and Naples is no different,” Cooper said. 
The store’s 50 to 75 staff members, 75% of whom are full-time employees, are highly trained and knowledgeable, Cooper said. “We want them to have an opportunity to have a career with us. We invest heavily in our team members. They are the lifeblood of our business,” he said. “The education that we provide to our team members hopefully will help you decide what you’re looking for in wine, spirits, or beer. If you already know, they’ll lead you right to it.”
Total Wine launched last October in another regional retail space that had been planned for Lucky’s Market in Port Charlotte. The North Naples store is targeted to relocate near the beginning of November.
“We’re excited about relocating. We are excited about the store,” Cooper said. “We continue to expand. The brand continues to expand.”
