Publix has signed a lease for a new location in Manassas, Virginia, in a move that will extend the Florida-based supermarket chain’s reach along the East Coast to its northernmost announced point.
The retailer said in an emailed announcement that it has not yet determined when the store, which will occupy 50,325 square feet at the intersection of Dumfries and Spriggs roads and create about 150 jobs, will open. The new store will be about 35 miles from Washington, D.C., making it the closest Publix location to the nation’s capital.
Publix’s decision to add the Manassas store will bolster its position in the competitive Mid-Atlantic grocery market, where chains including Ahold Delhaize banner Giant Food and Albertsons-owned Safeway both have a strong presence.
Publix currently operates 24 stores in Virginia after entering the state in 2017. The chain opened its first store in Northern Virginia in 2020.
In December, Publix said it plans to open a store in Winchester, Virginia, according to the city’s government. Publix also has a store slated to come to Stephens City, Virginia, local news site The Burn reported in January.
Publix has also taken steps to expand its presence in Kentucky. The company announced in August that it plans to open three new locations in that state, noting at the time that it has signed leases for the stores but has not settled on opening timeframes for any of them.
The vast majority of Publix’s stores are in Florida, where more than half of the employee-owned retailer’s approximately 1,400 stores are located. The company posted sales of nearly $60 billion during its last fiscal year, an increase of almost 5% from the previous year.
