At Publix, we know that food is more than taste — it’s about culture, family and heritage. Many of our associates and customers seek specific items connected to their backgrounds, and we want everyone to find familiar and comforting products in our stores.
Our international foods merchandising initiative began in the 1980s in the Miami Division.
“Retail leadership in South Florida saw the need to better serve the many diverse communities,” said Manager of Ethnic Business Development David Pagan. “We researched, developed solutions and introduced dedicated sections and ethnic items to appeal to these customers.”
The success in South Florida laid the foundation for a broader initiative. Today, David and the local customization team use these same strategies to expand our international food selections across all our divisions.
Understanding our customers
The local customization team reviews a store’s demographics to understand the unique mix of customers in each location. This helps them determine which international products should be available in that store.
For example, if a community has a large Caribbean population, they’ll work to bring in items that reflect the flavors and ingredients those customers know and love.
“This isn’t a 1-size-fits-all approach. Every store is unique, so we tailor our offerings accordingly,” said David. “We work with corporate purchasing to authorize items and with our space management team to develop planograms. We then collaborate with merchandisers and retail improvement specialists to ensure products are available and well-positioned in stores.”
Promotions that celebrate culture
We don’t just stock these items — we highlight them. We run special promotions and displays for key cultural events like Passover, Lunar New Year, Cinco de Mayo, Hispanic Heritage Month and Diwali. You’ll often find these items tied to cultural events in our sales ads and on endcaps.
“As a company, we strive to offer the right items, at the right time, in the right stores — and we have the tools and resources to make it happen,” said David. “By continually adapting to the cultural needs of our customers, Publix remains a trusted destination for familiar tastes and cherished traditions.”
This personalized approach has left a lasting impression on many of our customers. One shopper at #1245, Zephyrhills, Florida, shared her feedback in our Customer Satisfaction Survey.
“Seeing Passover foods in your weekly [ad] truly caught us by surprise — in the best way. We recently moved to this area and didn’t expect to find anything locally for the holiday. It was such a wonderful and unexpected moment to realize we could pick up familiar, meaningful foods right here in our new community. Thank you for going the extra mile to include these options. It made our holiday preparations so much easier and truly brightened our week.”
