UPDATE: Dec. 9, 2021: Publix plans to open a second location in Louisville, Kentucky, during the first quarter of 2024, the grocer announced on Dec. 7. The 55,701-square-foot store at Ballardsville and Brownsboro Roads will house a drive-thru pharmacy and have a 2,800-square-foot liquor store next door.
Dive Brief:
- Publix announced on Tuesday it has signed a lease to open its first store in Kentucky, with an anticipated opening in the fourth quarter of 2023.
- The more than 55,700-square-foot supermarket will be located at the northwest corner of Terra Crossing Boulevard and Old Henry Road in Louisville and will include an adjacent Publix Liquors store. The alcohol outlet will be Publix’s first located outside its home state of Florida.
- Kentucky marks Publix’s eighth state of operation and its first new state announcement since 2016.
Dive Insight:
Publix is continuing its northward expansion by targeting a metropolitan area where Kroger controls nearly half the grocery market share — putting it in a familiar situation, considering the two chains compete across other southeastern markets, including now Florida.
Publix’s challenge will be building shopper awareness in a new market far away from its other stores. But by now the chain has grown accustomed to this practice as it carefully plots its growth in step with shopper demand and supply resources.
The grocer will likely build numerous additional stores in the Bluegrass State, if history is any indication. Since entering Virginia in 2017 with a store in Glen Allen, Publix has opened more than a dozen stores in the Richmond area. After debuting in North Carolina in 2014, the grocer has opened dozens of stores across the Charlotte and Research Triangle areas.
“Moving into Kentucky is a natural progression for our company, and we are excited to serve and be a part of this vibrant community,” Publix CEO Todd Jones said in a statement.
Publix currently operates 1,281 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
