Publix to Open Six More Stores Across Five States This Month
Grocery chain adds locations in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida after Tennessee debut as rivals both expand and contract
Publix on Saturday opened the first of six new stores slated to debut this month, bringing the Florida-based grocery chain’s total to more than 1,400 locations nationwide. The remaining five stores will open across four states over the next two weeks, the company confirmed earlier this summer.
The next two openings are scheduled for Wednesday in Georgia and South Carolina, with a Charlotte, North Carolina, store planned for Sept. 20 and two Florida locations in Coral Gables and Orlando set to open on Sept. 25. The Tennessee store opened Sept. 13 in Spring Hill; that location gave the first 95 visitors a free reusable bag.
Publix provided a list of addresses and opening dates for the five upcoming locations: 1060 Braselton Village Parkway in Braselton, Georgia, and 1311 Fork Shoals Road in Greenville, South Carolina, both opening Sept. 17; 7933 Providence Road in Charlotte, North Carolina, opening Sept. 20; and 1542 S. Dixie Highway in Coral Gables and 2435 S. Hiawassee Road in Orlando, both opening Sept. 25. The company said these six additions raise its total openings for the month to nine and that more stores are planned before year-end, though it declined to disclose additional dates and locations.
"We look forward to welcoming both longtime and new customers and associates to their new Publix stores," media relations manager Nicole Krauss said when the openings were first announced. Publix has opened more than 30 stores so far in 2025 and this year was ranked third on Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Retail for the 12th consecutive year.
The planned rollouts continue Publix’s steady geographic expansion beyond its traditional Southeast base; the company earlier confirmed plans to expand into Kentucky for the first time this year and to replace several Florida stores. The company did not provide immediate details on staffing or investment at the new locations beyond standard hiring for store associates and management.
The openings come as supermarket chains pursue different growth strategies. Trader Joe’s has said it plans to open about 30 stores by the end of the year, while Aldi — now the nation’s fastest-growing grocery chain — is on track to add roughly 225 new U.S. stores in 2025 on top of the 105 it opened last year. Kroger, by contrast, has announced plans to close a significant number of underperforming stores across its Kroger, Harris Teeter and Pick ’n Save banners in what the company has described as one of the largest closure rounds in its history.
Kroger’s closures, which followed the collapse of its proposed $25 billion merger with Albertsons, have already involved nearly 1,000 layoffs. The company said the moves are intended to cut costs and that it plans to reinvest savings to improve the customer experience. Kroger nevertheless expects to open roughly 30 new stores by the end of 2025.
Analysts and industry executives say diverging strategies reflect regional strength, balance-sheet priorities and differing approaches to suburban development and online grocery. For Publix, continued openings bolster its footprint in markets where it is already well-known, while chains such as Aldi and Trader Joe’s are accelerating national growth to capture share in fast-growing segments.
Publix confirmed to media outlets that additional store openings are planned later this year but would not provide precise locations or timing. The company has been growing its store count steadily over the past decade through a mix of new-market entries, replacement stores and infill locations, contributing to its sustained ranking among top retail workplaces and its expansion outside Florida and Georgia.
The new openings will bring Publix’s footprint deeper into existing markets and add proximity for customers in the Southeast, where competition among regional and national supermarket operators remains intense. Retail analysts say the pace of openings and replacements this year will be a key indicator of how traditional grocers balance brick-and-mortar investment with rising e-commerce and delivery costs as the holiday season approaches.