Description
Publix Super Markets, Inc., commonly known as Publix, is an employee-owned, American supermarket chain headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, Publix is a private corporation that is wholly owned by present and past employees and members of the Jenkins family. Publix operates throughout the Southeastern United States, with locations in Florida (813), Georgia (189), Alabama (78), South Carolina (64), Tennessee (46), North Carolina (46), and Virginia (16).
Publix stands as one of the largest U.S. regional grocery chains. Locations are found as far north as Stafford, Virginia, as far south as Key West, Florida, while the westernmost location is in Mobile, Alabama. Today, the state of Florida still has the largest number of stores, with 831, representing about two-thirds of the outlets. As of January 2019, Publix employs about 193,000 people at its 1,239 retail locations, cooking schools, corporate offices, nine grocery distribution centers, and 11 manufacturing facilities. The manufacturing facilities produce its dairy, deli, bakery, and other food products. The company is the largest employee-owned company in the US.
Publix was ranked No. 12 on Fortune magazine's list of 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2019, up from No. 47 in 2018, was ranked No. 7 on Forbes' 2017 list of America's Largest Private Companies, and is the largest in Florida. Fortune ranked Publix #1 on their 2018 list of World's Most Admired Companies in the Food & Drug Stores sector. The company's 2017 sales totaled US$34.6 billion, with profits of $2.3 billion, ranking No. 88 on Fortune magazine's Fortune 500 list of U.S. companies by revenue for 2017. According to the National Retail Federation, based on 2017 revenue, Publix is the fifteenth-largest U.S. retailer.
In February 2020, Publix was named one of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For, ranking #39. They are one of only eight companies who have made the list every year since its inception in 1998.
