Ideal Nutrition to open downtown St. Pete storefront

Ideal Nutrition, a healthy meal delivery service company, is expanding into the Tampa Bay market with a new retail location in downtown St. Petersburg.

Construction is underway on a 1,770-square-foot store, situated on the ground floor of the Evo apartment building at 360 2nd Ave. S. The downtown St. Pete store will offer a selection of nutrition-focused ready-to-eat meals for delivery or pick up in-store.

Ideal Nutrition offers a meal subscription service or grab-and-go options in-store. The company anticipates opening its first St. Pete location by the end of 2025.

Stephanie Addis of Colliers represented the tenant, Fresh Blends Cafe LLC, doing business as Ideal Nutrition, in the lease transaction. Melissa Riccardi and Lisa McCaffrey, also of Colliers, represented the landlord, American Land Ventures/FrontRange Capital. Zach Feldman of Colliers, based in South Florida, serves as the master broker for Ideal Nutrition, overseeing commercial real estate strategy for the brand’s statewide expansion.

Ideal Nutrition is based in South Florida and has a total of eight existing retail locations in West Palm Beach, Miami, Boca Raton, Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington, Stuart and Gainesville.

“We are thrilled to bring Ideal Nutrition to St. Petersburg,” said Wolfgang Brunet, founder and CEO of Ideal Nutrition, in a prepared statement. “This city has a vibrant and health-conscious community.”

Addis said they chose their forthcoming St. Pete location because it’s highly walkable with both daytime and residential population density, near the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus and fits with the existing “wellness-focused” tenant. Ideal Nutrition will be the second retail lease at Evo, the 23-story, 220-unit high-end apartment tower that opened in early 2023. Laser Away, a medical spa, was the first retail tenant at Evo. 

“We feel that this brand will see great success as we roll out other locations in Tampa and beyond,” Addis said.

Ideal Nutrition’s entry into the St. Petersburg market comes at a time when the city’s retail sector is experiencing significant growth. Recent reports indicate Tampa Bay’s retail market has excelled over the past several years. However, a local commercial broker the Catalyst spoke with said that although the demand for retail is strong, leasing rates are high and being just a block away from Beach Drive or Central Avenue can present foot traffic challenges.

Company leaders say Ideal Nutrition’s affordable pricing strategy, with meals priced at $8.49, positions it well in the competitive Tampa Bay food service landscape to help make healthy eating “convenient and accessible.” Ideal Nutrition’s menu caters to various dietary preferences, including traditional, vegan, vegetarian, keto and paleo options.

Caleb McDonnell, Ideal Nutrition’s St. Petersburg store owner/operator, said the store will host special promotions, giveaways and exclusive events for the local community as part of its grand opening. The company’s leadership anticipates opening the St. Petersburg store in the fourth quarter of 2025.

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