Publix facts for kids
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Publix in Farragut, Tennessee
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Trade name
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Publix |
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| Private, employee-owned | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | September 6, 1930 Winter Haven, Florida, U.S. |
| Founder | George W. Jenkins |
| Headquarters |
Lakeland, Florida, U.S.
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Number of locations
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1,413 |
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Area served
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Key people
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Operating income
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| Owner | Jenkins family (20%) |
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Number of employees
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260,000 (2025) |
Publix Super Markets, Inc., known simply as Publix, is a large supermarket chain in the United States. It is special because it is owned by its employees and members of the Jenkins family. The company's main office is in Lakeland, Florida.
Publix was started in 1930 by George W. Jenkins. Today, it has 1,413 stores across the Southeastern United States. You can find Publix stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky. Kentucky was the newest state to get a Publix store, with the first one opening there in January 2024.
As of June 2025, Publix employs about 260,000 people. These employees work in stores, cooking schools, offices, and at the company's many distribution and manufacturing centers. Publix is known as the largest company in the U.S. that is owned by its employees.
Contents
Publix History
How Publix Started
Before starting Publix, George W. Jenkins worked at another grocery store from 1926 to 1930. He had many ideas to make the store better, but the company leaders were not interested. So, George Jenkins decided to open his own store where everyone's ideas would be welcome.
He chose the name "Publix" from a movie theater company that was closing down. He liked how the name sounded. On September 6, 1930, he opened the first Publix Food Store in Winter Haven, Florida. It was a 3,000-square-foot building. By 1934, this store made $120,000 in sales. Even during the Great Depression, a tough economic time, his stores did well.
In 1940, Mr. George, as his employees called him, built Florida's first modern supermarket. It opened on November 8, 1940. This "food palace" had cool features like music playing, air conditioning, special cases for frozen foods, and even automatic doors. During World War II, it was hard to get materials, so he could not build more stores. In 1945, he bought 19 other food stores and changed them into Publix Super Markets.
In 1951, Publix moved its main office to Lakeland, Florida. They also built their first large storage building there. By 1956, Publix had sales of $50 million and made $1 million in profit. In 1957, the small donut shops in each store grew into full bakeries.
Growing in Florida
By 1959, Publix was the top supermarket in Central Florida. It started to expand into South Florida, opening a store in Miami. In 1963, the company built another large storage center in Miami.
By 1970, Publix's sales were over $500 million. They reached $1 billion in 1974 when the chain expanded to Jacksonville, Florida. In 1982, Publix started its own ATM network called Presto!. Soon, every Publix store had an ATM. By 1989, sales were more than $5 billion.
Carol Jenkins Barnett, the founder's daughter, joined the Publix Board of Directors in 1983. She helped the company grow into the biggest supermarket chain in Florida and expand into five other states.
On October 5, 1995, Publix opened its 500th store in Miami, Florida. In 2008, Publix bought 49 Florida stores from Albertsons. This deal helped Publix open stores in new areas like Pensacola.
On February 5, 2009, Publix opened its 1,000th store in St. Augustine, Florida. This store was designed to save energy, with special lights and motion sensors.
Expanding South
The first Publix store outside Florida opened in Savannah, Georgia, in 1991. Soon after, Publix opened distribution and manufacturing centers near Atlanta. Publix then expanded into South Carolina (1993), Alabama (1996), Tennessee (2002), North Carolina (2014), Virginia (2017), and Kentucky (2024).
In 2011, Publix announced it would open stores in North Carolina, starting in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The first North Carolina Publix store opened in 2014. Publix also bought seven stores from a competitor called BI-LO in the Charlotte area.
In 2016, Publix announced it would enter the Virginia market. It signed leases for stores in Bristol and Richmond. Publix also bought 10 Martin's Food Markets locations in Richmond.
In April 2016, Ed Crenshaw, the founder's grandson, retired as CEO. Todd Jones, who started as a bagger 36 years earlier, became the new CEO. He was the first person outside the Jenkins family to hold this position.
Kentucky Expansion
On September 7, 2021, Publix announced its first store in Kentucky. It opened in January 2024 in Louisville. This location also has the first Publix Liquors store outside Florida. Publix has announced plans for more stores in Louisville, Lexington, Owensboro, and Elizabethtown. Many of these new stores will also have a Publix Liquors next door.
Helping During the COVID-19 Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Publix worked with health agencies to keep customers and employees safe. They stopped food samples, cleaned stores more often, and put up clear shields at checkout. Starting in July 2020, face masks were required for all customers.
Publix also helped farmers by buying milk and fresh produce that would have been thrown away. They donated this food to food banks to help people in need.
In January 2021, Publix started giving out COVID-19 vaccines in Florida. They later expanded to Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia. By mid-February, Publix had given over 300,000 vaccines.
What You Find in Publix Stores
Each Publix store has many departments, including grocery, deli, bakery, produce, floral, meat, and seafood. Some stores also have special features like valet parking, cafés, sushi bars, pharmacies, or liquor stores. The submarine sandwiches from the Publix deli are very popular and often called "Pub subs."
The customer service counter offers services like cashing checks, money orders, and lottery tickets. Publix used to offer photo printing services but stopped them.
Aprons
Aprons was Publix's brand for recipes, helping customers make "simple meals" at home. Chefs created over 4,000 recipes for this brand.
Publix also had Aprons cooking schools, which offered cooking classes and demonstrations. However, all cooking school locations closed by mid-2023. You can still find Publix Cooking School videos online.
Publix GreenWise Market
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In 2007, Publix started a new store concept called GreenWise Market. These stores focused on healthy and organic products, similar to other health food chains. Products under the GreenWise brand are free from added dyes, flavors, or hormones. These markets also had salad and hot food bars.
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From 2008 to 2016, Publix focused on adding GreenWise sections inside regular Publix stores. In 2017, they started building standalone GreenWise locations again. However, in May 2023, Publix announced it would stop using the GreenWise Market name for separate stores.
Publix Sabor
Publix used to have seven stores called "Publix Sabor" (sabor means "flavor" in Spanish). These stores were in South Florida and offered products from Latin America, catering to Latino customers. They had employees who spoke both English and Spanish, and a wider selection of Hispanic foods. These stores have since been closed or changed into regular Publix stores.
Pharmacy Services
The first Publix in-store pharmacy opened in 1986. Today, about 90% of Publix stores have a pharmacy. Publix Pharmacies are often ranked highly for customer satisfaction.
In 2007, Publix started offering some types of antibiotics for free to customers. This caused some discussion among medical experts about the possible overuse of antibiotics.
Telehealth Services
In 2017, Publix and BayCare Health System started a program to offer telehealth services in some pharmacies in Florida. Patients can talk to a doctor through video calls in a private room at the pharmacy. Doctors can perform basic exams and write prescriptions for minor illnesses.
Online Shopping and Delivery
PublixDirect
In 2001, Publix launched its first online shopping service called PublixDirect, which delivered groceries to customers' homes. It started in South Florida but was stopped in 2003 because not enough people used it.
Publix Curbside
Publix tried online shopping again in 2010 with Publix Curbside. Customers could order groceries online and then pick them up at the store. This program also ended in 2012.
Later, Publix brought back its curbside pickup service, working with a delivery partner called Instacart. This service started in 2017 and has expanded to many stores.
Instacart Delivery
In July 2016, Publix started a test program with Instacart to offer online shopping and home delivery in the Miami area. Customers can order groceries online and have them delivered to their homes. Some items, like tobacco or gift cards, cannot be delivered. Beer and wine can be delivered in Florida and North Carolina.
By February 2017, Instacart deliveries from Publix were available in many major cities. Publix planned to have this service available from over 90% of its stores by the end of 2017.
Other Store Concepts
- Food World: Publix opened Food World stores in the 1970s to compete with other grocery stores that offered big discounts. These stores were larger and had new features like barcode scanners. However, the Food World brand was stopped in 1985 because the stores were not making enough profit.
- Publix PIX: From 2001 to 2014, Publix operated 14 PIX gas stations and convenience stores. These were sold to other companies, and Publix stopped this concept.
- Crispers: In 2002, Publix invested in a restaurant chain called Crispers, which focused on healthy food. Publix bought the rest of the company in 2007 but sold it in 2011 because the restaurants were not doing well.
- Publix Liquors: Publix started selling liquor in separate stores next to its supermarkets in 2003. The first Publix Liquors outside Florida opened in Kentucky in January 2024.
- DVD Rental Kiosks: Publix used to have DVD rental kiosks in its stores. These were first from "The New Release," then "Blockbuster Express," and finally "Redbox." However, Redbox kiosks started to be removed from Publix stores between late 2023 and early 2024.
- Starbucks: In December 2016, Publix opened its first in-store Starbucks coffee shop in Orlando. More Starbucks locations opened in Publix stores in 2017.
Presto! ATM Network
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| Operating area | Southeastern United States |
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| Members | 2,433 (2016) |
| ATMs | 1,120 |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Website | https://prestoatms.publix.com/ |
Presto! is an ATM network owned by Publix. Every Publix store has at least one Presto! ATM, and there are over 1,350 of them across eight states. These ATMs allow people to use their debit, credit, or EBT cards to make purchases at any Publix store.
Working at Publix
Publix is often named one of Fortune magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For." It is one of only five companies that have been on this list every year since it started in 1998. The company, founded in 1930, has never had to lay off employees.
In 1995, Publix faced a lawsuit about how it assigned jobs and promotions. The company settled the case in 1997.
Publix announced that starting January 1, 2015, it would offer health insurance to legally married same-sex couples. In early 2018, Publix updated its health plans to cover certain HIV prevention medications.
Publix Locations
| State | Supermarkets as of June 2025 (inclusive of other categories) |
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| Florida | 882 |
| Georgia | 220 |
| Alabama | 96 |
| South Carolina | 70 |
| Tennessee | 59 |
| North Carolina | 58 |
| Virginia | 24 |
| Kentucky | 4 |
| Total | 1,413 |
Distribution Centers
Publix has large distribution centers in several states:
- Alabama: McCalla
- Florida: Boynton Beach, Deerfield Beach, Jacksonville, Lakeland, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota
- Georgia: Dacula
- North Carolina: Greensboro
Manufacturing Facilities
Publix also has manufacturing facilities where it makes its own dairy, deli, and bakery products:
- Florida: Deerfield Beach, Jacksonville, Lakeland, Orlando
- Georgia: Dacula, Atlanta
Support Offices
Publix has offices to support its operations in:
- Florida: Lakeland (corporate offices, IT data center, call center), Jacksonville, Miami
- Georgia: Marietta, Alpharetta (IT data center)
- North Carolina: Charlotte
Images for kids
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Corporate headquarters building.
See also
In Spanish: Publix para niños
