First store openings set for the Richmond area in 2017, 2018

LAKELAND, Fla. — Publix Super Markets Inc. is expanding into Virginia, which will be the employee-owned grocery chain’s seventh state.

The retailer said on Tuesday that it has signed two leases for stores in the greater Richmond area. The Bristol store will measure 54,000 square feet and will be located at the northeast corner of Lee Highway and Clear Creek Road in Washington County. The Glen Allen store, 49,000 square feet, will be located at the northeast corner of Nuckols Road and Twin Hickory Road in Henrico County.

Grand opening dates have yet to be determined, but Publix says the Bristol store is tentatively slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2017, with the Glen Allen store to follow in 2018.

“Being company owners, our associates continue to work diligently to exceed our customers’ expectations, which has allowed Publix to experience continued growth,” Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw said of the company’s plans to expand its territory into a new state. “As we enter new markets and continue to open new stores, our associates prepare for new opportunities which supports our culture of promotion from within. We look forward to providing the great state of Virginia with the high quality service and products that our customers have come to expect and that have earned us recognition throughout the industry.”

Publix last announced plans to expand across state lines in September 2012, when it said was making a long-awaited move into North Carolina. It opened its first store in that state in in February 2014. The company is looking ahead to aggressive growth within the state and in its current operating areas of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South and North Carolina.