Publix Super Markets expands footprint in Alabama with new store opening

Employee-owned grocery chain Publix Super Markets on Wednesday opened its newest store in Alabama.

The 48,000-square-foot grocery store is located at Market City Square in Sylacauga at 165 MCS Boulevard. Publix now operates 88 stores in the state, according to the grocery retailer’s website.

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.

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

The 46,791-square-foot supermarket in Durham 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.”

Closing out fiscal 2022, Publix Super Markets experienced steady sales growth as the employee-owned grocer continues to increase its footprint with new store openings.

For the quarter, which ended Dec. 31, sales rose 22% to $15.3 billion from $12.6 billion a year earlier. Same-store sales at the Lakeland, Florida-based chain increased 12.4% for the quarter and net earnings jumped 21.6% to $1.3 billion from year-over-year earnings of $1.1 billion. The additional week in the fourth quarter increased sales by 8.1%.

As one of the largest employee-owned grocers in the U.S., Publix employs more than 225,000 associates at its nearly 1,333 locations in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.