Publix is opening 4 Florida stores in April, including the Miami area. Let’s take a look

Supermarket chains are jostling at the starting block and exploding onto the track in a feverish race to open more stores to stay ahead of mergers. And they are adding more incentives like discount prices, BOGOs, the addition of in-store cafes or the creation of membership delivery programs to wrest the gold from consumers’ wallets.

One way Lakeland-based Publix, Florida’s dominant supermarket chain as it approaches its 100th anniversary in a little over five years, hopes to stay ahead of its hungry competition is to open new stores.

This April, Publix opens four new Florida stores, said spokeswoman Lindsey Willis.

The openings lead with Thursday’s unveiling of a new nearly 40,000-square-foot store in Homestead at the Valencia Center. That new Publix in South Miami-Dade has an adjacent liquor store.

The pace hastened as activity on mergers caught customers’ attention in 2023:

▪ Publix opened 33 stores, including nine replacements between January and September, according to industry tracker Grocery Dive. The chain has more than 800 locations in Florida.

▪ Jacksonville-based Winn-Dixie, Publix’s longtime chief traditional rival in the state, has about 450 stores.

▪ Aldi, a rapidly growing discount grocer, has more than 215 in the state.

At the same time last year, discount grocer Aldi announced it would be acquiring Winn-Dixie. That deal was finalized in March. The repercussions — how many of those Winn-Dixies will convert to the Aldi brand, for instance — will be announced later this year, Aldi said.

Publix isn’t waiting.

In January and February this year, the grocer that took its name from a chain of movie theaters in 1930, opened five stores, including one of the biggest in its entire roster of 1,373 markets in eight southeastern states.

The Key Largo Publix opened with 64,000 square feet, spokeswoman Hannah Herring told the Miami Herald on opening day on Feb. 15. That Publix, at the Tradewinds Plaza off the Overseas Highway, replaced a 48,000-square-foot-store that had opened a few doors down in 1989 — the year Taylor Swift was born.

READ MORE: A ginormous Publix just opened in the Florida Keys. Take a look inside the new store

In March, Publix opened three stores in Florida — two in Orlando and one in Parrish, plus one apiece in Georgia and Tennessee for a total of five.

KNOW MORE: Where is Publix opening next? Supermarket planning 5 new stores in Florida and beyond

Now come the April additions

Here are some of the coming Publix markets:

Homestead Publix

Where is it: The new 39,600-square-foot Publix at Valencia Center, 1220 E. Palm Dr., opened at 7 a.m. April 4.

What’s inside: Along with the usual dairy, frozen food, seafood, meat and fresh produce departments, the Homestead Publix has a full-service bakery and deli. There’s a full-service pharmacy at this Publix. Adjacent to the new location is a Publix Liquors offering wine and spirits.

Store hours: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Sunday.

Pharmacy hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.

Other Florida April openings

Three more Publix supermarkets open across Florida in April:

▪ Publix at Wellington Green Square, 10640 Forest Hill Blvd. in Wellington, opens Thursday, April 11. This store is just over 38,000 square feet, Willis said.

▪ Publix at The Shoppes at Verdana Village, 19050 Corkscrew Rd. in Estero, opens Thursday, April 18. This store is just over 48,000 square feet.

▪ Publix at Addison Center at Viera, 7655 Stadium Pkwy. in Melbourne, also opens on April 18 and it, too, is over 48,000 square feet.