Supermarkets are the fabric of American food consumption. Here in South Florida, you can't drive more than a couple of miles without seeing one of the behemoth retailers. Seeing the potential for growth, Russian food retailer Okey Dokey, and its parent company AgroTrade, is planning a major expansion into the South Florida area.

"Our

goal as a company is to provide every community with

quality and value priced groceries in a convenient and friendly environment," said director of personnel development Roy Sartin. "America has come to embrace the different European retail concepts and we think that our model will also be successful."

Agro, which has committed a comfortable $500 million investment, plans on opening up to 30 stores by the end of 2012, with a plan to open at

least 50 stores each year thereafter. They have already leased 22 properties and

are negotiating leases for 35 locations in Miami and Tampa.

"Since 1998, AgroTrade International BV Investment Group has been strategically focused on starting and managing large scale international venture projects in real estate and retail industries," said the company's website. "The group has assembled significant funding to focus on venture financing of grocery distribution projects with new retail concepts."

The first three stores will be located at yet-to-be-determined sites downtown, Opa-Locka and North Miami Beach. The stores will be between 4,200 and 7,500 square feet and feature around 3,500 items for purchase. Okey Dokey's products will include fresh produce, pre-packaged fish, meats, poultry and dry groceries

including beer wine and liquor, a roughly 50-50 mix of national and

private brands.

After setting up shop in Miami, the food retailer has plans for sites in the Broward County cities of Tamarac, Plantation and Lauderhill.

AgroTrade has successfully developed two food retail stores in Eastern Europe called Karusel and Pyaterochka. Their focus on prime locations, low prices, and a wide range of prodcuts is the reason analysts say Agro has enjoyed success in a tough market.

With the stranglehold Publix and Winn-Dixie have in South Florida, it will be interesting to see if a similar format allows for success in the Unted States.

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