Publix Goes Bigger in Florida
Publix Super Markets is opening several new supermarkets this fall, including one in Florida that’s bigger than usual, as reported by the Miami Herald. A new store in Lakeland, where the company is based, will be almost 55,000 square feet. It’s scheduled to open on Nov. 9. Publix opened a similarly larger store in Coral Springs, Fla., back in August.
New store sizes for Publix typically range from 45,000 to 49,000 square feet.
Following the news of its GreenWise banner closure in May, Publix mentioned it would bring the concept’s amenities into traditional Publix stores, which could explain the need for larger stores.
“It’s a larger format that offers departments for grocery, dairy, frozen food, seafood, meat and fresh produce, as well as a full-service bakery, deli and pharmacy,” said Hannah Herring, Publix media relations manager. “The new format allows for additional offerings that may include a Pours area and burrito, pizza and pasta bars, as well as upstairs and outside seating.”
Herring shared that learnings from the GreenWise concept were applied to a Tampa, Fla., Publix store earlier this year. In March, Publix reopened at the Gandy Shopping Center, in Tampa. The nearly 60,000-square-foot store, located at 3617 West Gandy Boulevard, is a full ground-up replacement for the original market.
Publix has opened 50-plus stores since 2022. No other traditional supermarket operator is growing profits and expanding its footprint like Publix is, which is why Progressive Grocer named it one of this year’s Super Regionals. The country’s largest employee-owned company, with more than 250,000 associates, is quietly becoming the dominant traditional grocery operator in the Southeast.
In addition to its new Lakeland, Fla., location, here’s a list of other upcoming Publix stores:
- Oct. 25: Maryville, Tenn.
- Nov. 1: Greenville, S.C.
- Nov. 2: Spring Hill, Fla.
- Nov. 15: Winston-Salem, N.C.
Publix also has plans for four locations in Kentucky, a new territory for the regional grocer.
Employee-owned and -operated Publix has approximately 1,300 supermarkets in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix is No. 12 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company one of its Retailers of the Century.
