Publix

Publix credited its customer service for helping fuel third-quarter sale sales of $7 billion, a 5.6% increase from last year’s $6.7 billion. Comparable-store sales for the third quarter of 2013 increased 4.1%.

The company reported net earnings for the quarter of $359.9 million, a decrease of 2.3% from $368.4 million in 2012. Earnings per share for the third quarter decreased to $0.46 for 2013, down from $0.47 per share in 2012.

Publix Super Markets has decided to sell PIX, the fuel/C-store concept it began testing in 2001. Circle K Stores, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alimentation Couche-Tard, will purchase 13 sites, of which 11 are located in Florida and two in Georgia.

Max Arnold & Sons, a family-owned company located in Hopkinsville, Ky., which has been in operation for more than 60 years, will purchase the site located in Tennessee.

Publix is heading to South Carolina with two stores which will be located in North Myrtle Beach and Pawleys Island.

The first lease is for North Myrtle Beach located in the Coastal North Town Center at Hwy. 17 and Moss Place. The store will be a 49,000-sq.-ft. Publix supermarket and is expected to open in late 2014.

Dallas — A fund managed by Cypress Equities has acquired Promenade Tannehill in Bessemer, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham.

Tannehill is a 347,151-sq.-ft. regional power center that opened in 2008 and presently houses more than 30 retailers, including Target, Publix, J.C. Penney, Michaels, PetSmart, Premiere Cinemas, Charming Charlie, Anna’s Linens and Ross Dress For Less.

Boulder, Col. -- Publix Pharmacy is North America’s favorite based on customer satisfaction, according to a new study of 3,600 consumers conducted by customer intelligence solutions provider Market Force Information. Target was a close second and Kroger ranked third. All three received high marks in operational attributes such as service, cleanliness, atmosphere and checkout times.

Walgreens and CVS/pharmacy ranked the highest when those consumers were asked to name their pharmacy chain, with 18% identifying Walgreens and 17% CVS.  

Lakeland, Fla. -- Publix Super Markets on Friday announced it will enter the Winston-Salem market and add a third location in Mecklenburg

The Winston-Salem store will measure 49,000 sq. ft. and is slated to open in 2015. The Cornelius store, located in Mecklenburg County, will also encompass 49,000 sq. ft. and will feature a drive-thru pharmacy. Opening is planned for late 2014.

Publix continues to aggressively look for additional locations throughout the state of North Carolina, the grocer said.

Cincinnati — Phillips Edison-ARC Shopping Center REIT has acquired Paradise Crossing, a 67,470-sq.-ft. shopping center anchored by a Publix grocery store.

Located in Lithia Springs, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta, Paradise Crossing is 93.7% occupied. When combined with the Publix lease, 64% of the rents for the center derive from national tenants.

The acquisition brings the REIT’s portfolio to 50 grocery-anchored properties, with an aggregate portfolio purchase price of approximately $729.6 million.

Lakeland, Fla. -- Publix Super Markets on Friday announced it will enter the Asheville and Cary markets in North Carolina.

The supermarket operator will open a 49,000-sq.-ft store in Asheville, complete with a drive-thru pharmacy, in 2015.

The 49,000-sq.-ft. Cary store is tentatively planned for late 2014.
Publix previously announced its first three North Carolina locations, opening one in Ballantyne in early 2014 and two in the greater Charlotte area, which is slated for a late 2014 opening date.

LAKELAND, Fla. — Publix has raised its private stock from $26.90 per share to $27.55 per share following a 5% sales increase for the first half of 2013 to $14.5 billion, compared to the first half of 2013. Comparable-store sales for the first half of 2013 increased 3%.

No one would dispute that Lakeland, Fla.-based supermarket is a wonderful operator, but a piece in the August 12 issue of Forbes takes things a little too far and characterizes the regional operator of 1,073 stores as, “the Wal-Mart Slayer.”