Publix opens first Kentucky store

Publix Super Markets is growing.

The Lakeland-based grocer announced Wednesday it has opened its first store in Kentucky and its first liquor store outside of Florida.

The 55,701-square-foot store is at 2500 Terra Crossing Blvd. in the Terra Crossing Shopping Center in Louisville. According to Publix, the store will have a drive-thru pharmacy and a 3,200-square-foot Publix Liquors offering beer, wine and spirits adjacent to the store.

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To mark the occasion, the chain is launching a series of “Kentucky-inspired products” at all its stores. Among those are Bourbon Barrel Cut Out Cake, Chocolate Bourbon Walnut Pie and Grilled Kentucky Barbecue-style pork and vegetables. And, you may be sensing a theme here, “to embrace the culture of the bourbon capital of the world, we’ll be offering bourbon-seasoned proteins available in the meat department.”

The expansion means Publix now has 1,361 stores in eight states, mostly across the south. It also has 10 distribution centers and 10 manufacturing facilities. Its biggest presence is in Florida where it has 860 stores, followed by Georgia where it has 210 stores.

The company had $54.5 billion in sales in 2022, according to its website.

Opening a store in Kentucky also brings the 94-year-old grocery behemoth closer to encroaching onto the turf of one of its biggest competitors: The Kroger Co.

Kroger is based in Cincinnati, just across the state line from Kentucky and about a two-hour drive from Louisville. According to Google Maps, the drive from the new Louisville store to Kroger’s corporate offices is 93 miles and will take about an hour and 29 minutes.