We’ve come a long way since the 1st Publix Food Store opened in Winter Haven, Florida, on Sept. 6, 1930. We’re now operating across 8 states and have become the largest employee-owned company in the U.S.
It’s our 95th anniversary this month! All year, we’ve been celebrating by looking back at our history through the decades.
The 2020s started with the world — including all of us at Publix — navigating the challenges brought on by a global pandemic. Thanks to the popularity of TikTok, trends moved quicker than ever, from fashion to music and everything in between. Podcasts and true crime documentaries soared in popularity. “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” gave moviegoers the perfect double feature in 2023, and Taylor Swift embarked on “The Eras Tour,” which became the highest-grossing tour of all time.
Publix was also entering a new era. We opened a distribution center in North Carolina, expanded into Kentucky and named a new CEO.
2022: Publix opened the Greensboro distribution center.
On Feb. 27, 2020, Publix broke ground on its 10th distribution center in Greensboro, North Carolina. It officially opened on Publix’s 92nd birthday, Sept. 6, 2022. The new facility spans 2.2 million square feet, with a 940,000-square-foot refrigerated warehouse and a 1.3 million-square-foot dry warehouse.
2024: Kevin Murphy was promoted to CEO.
Kevin Murphy was promoted to CEO of Publix, with John Goff serving as president starting Jan. 1, 2024. Todd Jones became executive chairman.
2024: Our 1st store opened in Kentucky.
On Sept. 7, 2021, Publix announced it would enter its 8th state of operation, Kentucky. In 2022, we broke ground on the new location. The 1st store opened in Louisville on Jan. 10, 2024. The new location is 55,701 square feet with a drive-thru Publix Pharmacy and an adjacent 3,200-square-foot Publix Liquors, offering beer, wine and spirits. It was the 1st Publix Liquors to open outside the state of Florida.
2024: Private-label products started getting a refreshed look.
Publix began rolling out private-label products with an updated look in 2024. As part of the refresh, Publix Deli, Publix Bakery and Publix Premium logos were replaced with the familiar Publix logo.
2024: Publix reached the milestone of donating 100 million pounds of produce.
At the height of the pandemic, Publix began purchasing produce to help struggling farmers and donating it to our Feeding America food bank partners. In May 2024, Publix announced the milestone of donating 100 million pounds of produce to 35 Feeding America partner food banks.
2025: Publix announced it donated over 1 billion pounds of food through our food donation program.
On Feb. 27, 2025, Publix announced it had surpassed 1 billion pounds of food donated through our food donation program. It was piloted in 2009 and rolled out companywide in 2011. Through the program, food from the deli, grocery, meat and produce departments that is no longer salable but safe for consumption is donated to Feeding America partner food banks and other nonprofit organizations.
Our logos — past and present
Check out our logos throughout the decades.
Our uniforms — past and present
See what our uniforms looked like over the years.
Lessons from our founder: Prepare for opportunity
Mr. George believed in getting to know his associates and their career aspirations at Publix. He encouraged people to prepare because opportunities were up for grabs. He created an environment for associates to be successful.
“I truly believe the future holds before us such fantastic opportunities it is almost beyond belief,” Mr. George said.
Today, we continue to champion this philosophy from our founder. It has guided our expansion into our newest state of operation, Kentucky, and across our footprint. As we look to the future, this lesson will help us prepare for whatever comes next.
Learn more about our history through the decades
Explore previous anniversary articles and celebrate Publix’s 95th anniversary by reflecting on past milestones and creating new memories.
Next month, we’re taking a look at our history in the making. We’ll peek into our expansion into Kentucky and learn how associates there are championing the Publix culture.
