North Carolina Publix Embraces its Foodie Future

The hybrid store blends traditional with a more food-focused experience.

June 03, 2016

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – A new Publix store in North Carolina aims to cater to the foodie consumer, rather than a supermarket shopper, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports. The hybrid store, which opened last month, has elements from Publix’s GreenWise concept and its traditional grocery store formula.

With 53,000 square feet, the store is one of the chain’s biggest and has more prepared foods and a deli with more than 200 artisan cheeses overseen by a certified cheese specialist. A soup bar provides four gourmet offerings daily, while the hot bar has Pan-Asian dishes like Mongolian beef, vegetable lo-mein and sweet and sour chicken. Sushi is made fresh each day. In other words, this isn’t simply a grocery store—it’s a food “grocerant” experience.

“Many factors go into choosing a store’s design, including available space and understanding the needs of the community,” said Kimberly Reynolds, a Publix spokeswoman. “In this case, that was providing our customers with a large selection of prepared meals and grab and go items, which you'll find in our hybrid stores.”

Publix focused a lot on the prepared foods department. “The deli is also split with subs, salads and sliced meats and cheeses on one side and chef’s selections on the other,” Reynolds said. “At this time, I don’t have information available as to if we'll see this prototype moving forward. However, you will continue to see more of the prepared foods and ready-to-cook items in our Charlotte Division stores.”

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