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With a fresher image, the family-owned Navarro Discount Pharmacies has opened its 17th store in Miami-Dade County, where it plans to expand to Homestead, Doral and Miami Beach.
Jose Navarro Jr., 59, said his family is focused on opening three stores a year and modernizing existing stores. Last week, the company opened a megastore in Miami Lakes, its first in the municipality. The 42-year-old Miami-based discount pharmacy has a niche serving the Hispanic community.
But finding retail space for new stores has not been easy, he said.
"Real estate curtails our growth," said Navarro, standing at one end of the hardware aisle at his newest store and scanning to see if customers need help.
While Navarro prefers stores of about 25,000 square feet, some of his retail spaces are 12,000 square feet. The one in Miami Lakes is the largest at 30,000 square feet.
Miami-based Terranova Corp., a commercial real estate firm, helped Navarro secure the space for the next two decades. Terranova represented the landlord and had to relocate...