Publix Super Markets, The Shelby Report of the Southeast’s 2025 Retailer of the Year, is continuing its expansion into Kentucky with the opening of another store – part of a new market for the Florida-based grocer but one CEO Kevin Murphy says is already exceeding expectations.
The second Lexington store, which opened June 4, is located at the Fountains at Palomar, 3855 Fountainblue Lane.
Publix entered Kentucky – its eighth state – in 2023 and now has four locations open. Six stores are expected to be operating by the end of 2025, with 16 sites announced.
“We don’t have a certain number of stores in mind. We know that Kentucky is a great state … Our response from Kentucky so far has been overwhelming and positive,” Murphy said.
Charlotte Division VP Joey Riddle, whose division includes the Kentucky stores, added that Publix is active in a community for several months before opening a store. He also noted that many customers were familiar with the brand from vacations to Florida and down the East Coast.
That familiarity has drawn shoppers from outside Kentucky as well.
“They’re giving us a chance. Every day that we open up the store, we’re getting people that are driving across the river from Indiana, from Ohio, that want to see what Publix is all about,” Riddle said.
Even though Publix has had stores in the state for a short time, he noted that customers are finding items they have heard about and are coming back for more. “They are really enjoying the experience.” 
People as differentiator
Kroger and Meijer are key competitors in Kentucky, but Murphy said there’s room for everybody.
“Competition is good for the customer and helps keep everybody on their toes,” he said. “It helps keep everybody offering the best service and the best prices we can, so we’re good with that.”
Riddle said Publix, which is celebrating its 95th anniversary this year, focuses on what it can control.
“Everybody has a box to sell groceries out of, but when it comes down to what sets us apart, we like to invest in our people,” he said. “When we give our associates what they deserve and create a great place for them to work, they’re naturally going to be happy at work and give a great experience to the customer.
“We really go after the experience, paired with the best quality product that we can have in every prototype that we have across our footprint. Our huge investment in the people pays off long term. We believe that the people are what makes the experience.”
Publix, an employee-owned company, reported sales of nearly $60 billion in 2024. Murphy said they don’t talk about specific goals but rather focus on encouraging associates to “go to business every day, to really focus on beating yesterday, beating last week, last month, last year and continuing to grow.”
Murphy linked growth to career opportunities, noting Publix’s status as the largest employee-owned company in the United States, with more than 260,000 associates.
“The reason we want to grow is that promise that we’ve given to every one of our associates that you can come here, you can have a career at Publix. You can achieve your personal best at Publix, and you can become an owner,” he said.
“We want people to know that you can come here at any age, but you can come here at a very early age and build a very lucrative, prosperous, rewarding, fulfilling career. And we’ll teach you everything that you need to know. You’ve just got to be willing to come in and work hard, have the right attitude, the right amount of energy and then put the effort into it. You can be very, very successful at Publix.
“But in order for us to keep that promise … we’ve got to be able to grow and continue to grow. We’ve got to be able to reward people with promotion from within and that opportunity to advance, that opportunity to grow themselves, and just the natural, organic growth that really helps us be able to do that.”
Store prototypes
Murphy noted the newest Lexington store is a more recent prototype in the company’s portfolio, the “55 model.” At 55,000 square feet, it is larger than the company’s typical 45,000-46,000-square-foot footprint but is designed to stay manageable for shoppers.
“We’ve been playing around with this prototype for probably about the last three years or so,” Murphy said during a store tour with The Shelby Report the day before the June 4 opening. “We currently have about seven active prototypes within our portfolio.”
The various prototypes allow flexibility for specific locations.
Murphy noted the 55 model has turned out well and the company is receiving “exceptional responses from our customers with this prototype.
“We just try and focus on what we believe makes shopping easy, makes it convenient, makes sense to the customer on location and identification of items or where things may be located,” he said.
Part of the newest Lexington store design is the “Pours” area, where customers can order custom smoothies, acai bowls and, in some states, beer or wine on tap. In Kentucky, wine sales are restricted to separate liquor stores, but the space still draws crowds with local brewery partnerships and events.
“We do a lot of local events … and invite our customers in on that,” Murphy said. “It’s been very successful, getting a lot of very good feedback.”
The prepared foods “deli island” separates service counters into stations for sushi and ramen, pizza and pasta, with custom pizzas as an option. A burrito bar also is available, which Murphy said is very popular.
He noted the service island is separate from the traditional deli to facilitate traffic flow.
The traditional deli features Boar’s Head meats, salads, Publix’s “famous” fried chicken and hot sides. Murphy said Kentucky shoppers have embraced the chain’s signature offerings.
“When we open up tomorrow morning, they’ll be waiting to come in and get the fried chicken, and there’ll be a line of people just waiting for Pub subs.”
In the produce department, Murphy noted that these days produce can be center of the plate for many people.
“A lot of people are very, very knowledgeable now about what they’re eating and how they’re eating, and produce tends to be one of the most important parts of their meal,” he said. “We are very proud of our produce departments.”
Publix prioritizes sourcing produce from U.S. farms first, moving with the seasons.
“From Florida first, or from Georgia or South Carolina. And then as the seasons move, we move with that season, and we follow it farther north,” Murphy said.
He noted customer expectations have shifted. “Think back when you were growing up – strawberries had a season. There’s no season for strawberries anymore. Customers expect strawberries 12 months a year, so you have to continuously move and be able to acquire that product and have it for customers.”
Murphy also pointed out the salad bar and hot bar, which are features in the “55 model” prototype store, along with a large kettle corn station.
“It’s been a great sandbox,” he said of the prototype. “We’re still making small adjustments. What we utilize in this prototype we already know is very successful, but it does give us the opportunity to test new things and experiment with new things.”
He said they didn’t know how well the kettle corn station would go over, but “it’s been very popular. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Murphy also acknowledged that the different store prototypes allow the company to “put efficiencies together” and work with different structures and layouts.
“Everything about Publix is quality, and we want everything to be fresh and the highest quality possible,” he said. “The utilization of the outer walls and the back of the house and the space behind that is critical.”
Some of the prototypes have the bakery in the corner, while others have the meat or produce department located there.
“That lets us test some things and really hear from our customers on what they like and what they prefer,” Murphy said.
The new Lexington store also has a pharmacy with a drive-thru. He noted that the availability of a pharmacy drive-thru in other stores depends on space and the shopping center layout, but the company offers that service whenever it can.
“It’s all about convenience for the customer,” Murphy said. “Sometimes the customer is sick or has sick children or a sick family member and doesn’t want to leave the vehicle. That’s a benefit to them to be able to do that.
“Very proud of our pharmacy department and our pharmacy team. They do an excellent job engaging with the customer … And we pride ourselves in our pharmacists having time to engage and interact with customers.”
Building partnerships
Riddle said vendor relationships are “critical” when moving into new markets.
“We’re all in it to really support each other, and I think that’s one of the things that we really try to bring to the vendor community. We’re really partners in the business … we’re all dealing with the same mission to serve the communities,” he said.
“In each of the new states that I’ve had the pleasure of supporting, that’s been paramount – getting out in front of the relationship first and foremost, before we ever open the first store, and just say, ‘We’re in it together. How can we build a stronger relationship through growing sales together?’
“I would say that it’s probably one of the most important things that we do have. We have to rely on each other in order to be successful.”
Looking ahead
Murphy said Kentucky will continue to be a growth market for Publix, with the company’s focus on community connection, fresh products and employee experience.
“We want to make sure that we’re able to serve all the communities within Kentucky,” he said. “With the response that we’re getting, we’re excited. We think there’s a lot more work to be done.”
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