Publix talks of up to 30 stores in Nashville area

In the clearest sign yet that Publix Super Markets has major designs on the Nashville area, a company official has been quoted in Florida as saying the Lakeland, Fla. chain could put up to 30 stores here

Email | Print By Brian A. Courtney

11-21-2002 12:00 AM — In the clearest sign yet that Publix Super Markets has major designs on the Nashville area, a company official has been quoted in Florida as saying the Lakeland, Fla. chain could put up to 30 stores here. That would make Publix the No. 2 Middle Tennessee grocer in the next two to three years.

The grocery chain is eyeing 15 to 30 Nashville-area stores, according The Ledger, Lakeland’s morning daily newspaper. That number will make Publix the largest local rival of Kroger Co, which controlsjust more than 50% of Nashville¹s $1.9 billion grocery market.

Kroger is apparently feeling some pressure already and is making attempts to protect its market share. Local commercial real estate experts note that Cincinnati-based Kroger has been diligently working to "tie-up" key pieces of area real estate for new stores. This measure would also thwart Publix’s efforts to build new locations here. The company established a foothold in Nashville this summer when it locked up seven Albertson’s sites. Two of those stores, in Hermitage and Franklin, have since been renovated and now operates as Publix stores.

Publix officials have said from the beginning they expected to grow beyond seven Nashville-area stores but offered little more in terms of their overall strategic plan. Today’s article in The Ledger states that James Leckey, director of real estate for Publix, told attendees at a Florida real estate conference last week that the company plans 17 to 20 sites in the Nashville market within two to three years. Other sources said that number could grow to as many as 30.

Kroger’s local division includes 58 stores in Nashville, Clarksville and southern Kentucky.