Dive Brief:
- Publix announced Wednesday that it has signed leases for three new stores in Kentucky.
- The new stores in Bowling Green, Richmond and Versailles will join the six that the grocer has already opened in the state.
- Publix’s expansion in Kentucky pushes the grocer deeper into territory that has long been a Kroger stronghold.
Dive Insight:
Since making its debut in Kentucky in early 2024, Publix has ramped up its presence in a state that is not only hundreds of miles away from its home base in Florida but also borders Kroger’s home state of Ohio.
In September, Publix opened its third store in Louisville, Kentucky. The grocer also operates two stores in Lexington and one in Walton, according to the supermarket chain’s website. The grocer has a fourth Louisville store slated to open in addition to one in Elizabethtown.
Each of the three upcoming projects that Publix announced Wednesday will include a 54,964-square-foot Publix Super Market and an adjacent Publix Liquors, and will create about 150 jobs. Publix said it has not yet determined when the stores will open.
Publix is focusing on building up its presence around metropolitan areas in Kentucky. In the greater Cincinnati area, where Kroger is headquartered, Publix has stores planned for Hebron, Cold Spring, Florence and Independence. Publix also has a store planned for Georgetown in the greater Lexington metropolitan area, along with two slated for Owensboro and one for Bowling Green.
Publix runs more than 1,400 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky.
The company recorded $62.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2025, up 5% from the year prior.
