LAKELAND, FL – Publix Super Markets opened two stores last week as part of an ongoing effort to launch nearly forty new locations this year.

The company currently operates 1,146 stores throughout Florida and the Southwest and has pursued an aggressive growth strategy, adding as many as 20,000 associates over the last year, according to local news source Bay News 9.

The Lakeland-based chain recently purchased a $3.1 million dollar property from Florida Citrus Mutual in its hometown, said the Tampa Bay Business Journal, and Publix has expressed desires to add 700 jobs and a $28 million facility in the town in the near future, according to the Lakeland Ledger.

“We’re looking into potential future expansion but nothing has been determined yet," said Brian West, Media and Community Relations Manager for Publix Super Markets. “We purchased it to be prepared for future use. We are busting at the seams and growing continually so we’ve got to find ourselves prepared for space."

In recent months, the retailer has announced and implemented scads of ambitious ideas; from working to double its presence in North Carolina, to entering the competitive Virginia market with renovated Martin’s Food stores, to opening a 638,000-square-foot, $34 million distribution center in Alabama, the company has risen to a place of prominence in the region.

For more on the company’s continuing expansion efforts, check in with us at AndNowUKnow.

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