Publix opened two stores this week, both on Oct. 7: its 10th Kentucky location, Publix at Farmview Commons in Florence, and a new supermarket at French Mill Crossing in Athens, Alabama.
Florence store
The 55,817-square-foot Florence store at 8470 US 42 is the retailer’s third in Northern Kentucky and marks a milestone for the Lakeland, Florida-based company, which entered the commonwealth in January 2024 with its first store in Louisville. In less than three years, Publix has opened 10 Kentucky stores and announced plans for 16 additional locations.
“We are thrilled to open our third location in Northern Kentucky and 10th in the state,” said Jared Glover, media relations manager for Publix. “As we continue our expansion in Kentucky, we’re proud to bring Publix’s premier service, fresh offerings and shopping experience to more communities across the state.”
Beyond the traditional departments — including a deli with more than 150 artisan cheeses, bakery, produce, meat with GreenWise chicken, seafood with daily hand-rolled sushi and a pharmacy with drive-thru — the Florence store features an adjacent Publix Liquors, free catering event planning, a Pours station with beer, coffee, tea, smoothies and acai bowls, made-to-order burritos, nachos and bowls, made-to-order pizza and pasta, and specialty popcorn popped fresh in-store in flavors such as cheddar, caramel, dill pickle and Oreo.
Publix’s commitment to Kentucky began before its first store opened: since 2021, the retailer has donated more than 5 million pounds of produce to Dare to Care Food Bank in Louisville, plus more than 3 million pounds of food to Feeding America partner food banks and other nonprofits in the commonwealth through its Good Together donation program. Since 2024, associates have contributed more than 1,000 volunteer hours in Kentucky through Publix Serves.
Athens store
The 46,791-square-foot Athens store at 14210 Mooresville Road features Publix’s traditional departments along with Publix Delivery powered by Instacart and a pharmacy drive-thru.
“We are thrilled to welcome customers to our newest Publix in Athens, Alabama,” said Nicole Krauss, media relations manager. “Customers, both old and new, will enjoy some of the special features of this brand-new location, and we’re excited to provide our customers with the quality, convenience and service they know and love.”
The openings follow the retailer’s first Owensboro, Kentucky, store, which opened Oct. 3. Publix, the largest employee-owned company in the U.S. with more than 260,000 associates, operates 1,446 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky.