Publix Boasts Powerful Presence in Florida

While Publix first began in Winter Haven, it has now spread to many other cities across the Sunshine State. The grocery chain has 1,403 stores in total as of May, with Florida home to the most locations at 878 properties. Publix opened 12 stores since the start of 2025, with five located in Florida. The grocer’s latest moves in the state occurred in Boca Raton, marking its 10th store here, as well as a new location in Palm Beach Gardens at the Promenade Shopping Plaza.

 

Southeast Expansion Plans

After its successful operations in Florida, Publix began to expand across the Southeast. The grocer’s first location outside of Florida opened in Georgia in 1991, and it now has 219 stores across the state. Publix has begun expanding to new states in the Southeast with a strong customer base, including Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee and North Carolina. 

 

Additionally, Publix’s most recent expansions are in Virginia and Kentucky. The first store in Virginia opened in 2017, and there are now 24 locations here. The newest state for expansions is Kentucky, where the first store debuted in Louisville in January 2024. Another store recently opened in Lexington this June, and new stores are planned for Northern Kentucky locations like Florence, Cold Spring, Independence, and Hebron. Publix continues to focus on strategic growth throughout the Southeast, bringing its full-service grocery experience to new and existing communities.

 

Tenant Performance

Upon opening several new locations, Publix recorded strong sales growth throughout 2024 that continued into Q1 2025. The grocer recorded $59.7 billion in sales for the fiscal year 2024, which marked a 4.6% uptick from 2023. Moving into the first quarter of 2025, Publix recorded a total $15.8 billion in sales, which is also an increase from Q1 2024. The retailer also opened six new locations in the first quarter of this year.

 

Publix Works on New Look

Publix is following the ongoing national trend of providing consumers with an experienced-based shopping visit. In order to do so, Publix is working on creating larger-format stores that enhance customers’ visits. The grocer already has a handful of these locations, with its most recent one opening in Florida. This larger-format store is located in Wesley Chapel,  and it has unique additions like a burrito bar, an olive bar, and a pharmacy with a drive-thru. 

 

To further add enhancements to its stores, Publix invested millions of dollars in a tech campus located in Lakeland. The campus will employ hundreds of information technology professionals to aid tech improvements in Publix stores. As technology is used more in their locations, including self-checkout and digital shopping, the goal of the new tech campus is to manage risks and decrease costs. The addition of the tech facility will also make Publix stand out from other grocery competitors that are expanding their stores.