Publix opens its 1st Durham, North Carolina, store on Wednesday

Publix Super Markets on Wednesday opened its first Durham, North Carolina, location.

The 46,791-square-foot supermarket employs 130 people and is located at Ellis Crossing at 1065 Yunus Rd. The opening expands on Lakeland, Florida-based Publix’s footprint in North Carolina, which now includes over 51 stores in the state, according to the grocer’s website.

“We are excited to expand across the region with the opening of our new Publix in Durham,” said Jared Glover, Publix media relations manager, in a statement. “We look forward to bringing Publix’s legendary service and quality to this great community.”

Mike Searles, who has spent 19 years with the grocer, will serve as the store manager. He most recently served as the assistant store manager at Publix in Clayton, North Carolina, the company said.

The new store offers departments for grocery, dairy, frozen food, seafood, meat and produce, pharmacy, as well as contactless pay options, grocery delivery via Instacart and pharmacy delivery.

The fast-growing grocery retailer is also increasing its store count in Georgia with a new location that opened at Arbor Springs Plaza in Newnan last Wednesday.

Closing out fiscal 2022, the employee-owned grocer experienced steady sales growth.

Throughout this week, more than 7,500 Publix associates across the company’s seven-state operating area will be volunteering at over 200 organizations including Keep America Beautiful affiliates, parks, zoos, gardens and other nonprofits focused on environmental sustainability.

“Since our founding, Publix has been committed to being responsible citizens in our communities, and that extends to protecting and preserving our environment,” said Publix Director of Community Relations Dwaine Stevens in a statement. “We’re proud to do good together for the communities we serve by protecting our natural resources.” 

As one of the largest employee-owned grocers in the U.S., Publix employs more than 225,000 associates at its nearly 1,331 locations in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.