Publix Super Markets

THE 2019 POWER 25 TOP BANNERS: PUBLIX, GREENWISE HQ: LAKELAND, FLA. STORE COUNT: 1,218

There is perhaps no other retailer—food or otherwise—in the nation that is more readily identified with a state than Publix Super Markets is with Florida. As the largest employee-owned grocery chain in the U.S., Publix is moving forward by mixing things up a bit more than usual in the past year. During its most recent fiscal year, Publix opened 51 new stores—including eight replacement stores—alongside nearly 150 remodels and another 23 stores under construction. One of its biggest moves in the past year was the reinvention of its GreenWise banner, which company officials said was designed to complement conventional stores with a brand that emphasizes experiences over traditions for new shopping patterns and changing rules of food retailing. A linchpin in its plans to support its growth and expansion in the past 15 years is a major expansion of its Lakeland, Fla., headquarters, adding 190,000 square feet of office space to its present 320,000-square-foot campus. Construction is set to begin late this year on the facility, which was originally constructed in 2001. Since that time, Publix has expanded its footprint to three additional states alongside opening more than 500 new stores.