Publix Debuting in Knoxville
Publix Super Markets Inc. will open its first store in Knoxville, Tenn., on the morning of Thursday, Aug. 2, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring remarks by Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett. The 56,000 square-foot store, staffed by about 200 associates, will offer conventional items as well as a wide assortment of natural and organic products.
“Customers continue to look for a variety of all-natural and organic products and services while seeking traditional items on their shopping list,” noted Brenda Reid, media and community relations manager for Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix. “We’re confident this store will exceed customer expectations with an elegant environment, expanded product mix and premium service.”
As part of the opening-day festivities, the first 1,000 customers will receive a free commemorative reusable grocery bag; flowers will be handed out to arriving shoppers while supplies last; the first 25 customers who buy $50 or more in groceries will get a free bag of groceries worth $25; a magician, a balloon artist and a caricature artist will be on hand from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. to entertain children; and shoppers can register to win prizes throughout the store, including a $100 Publix gift card, along with cakes, a deli platter and fresh products from the meat and seafood departments.
Store features include a produce department carrying both organic and conventionally grown fruits and vegetables, including exotic choices from around the world and local items; a full-service floral department featuring specialists who can create arrangements for any occasion; a bakery department offering a selection of items made with all-natural ingredients; a full-service deli counter highlighting Boar’s Head meats and cheeses, as well as such other delicacies, as 200-plus artisan cheese varieties overseen by a certified cheese specialist; a large selection of freshly prepared foods created in-house daily; a salad bar with more than 20 fresh selections; a soup bar offering four gourmet soups daily; a Pacific wok featuring pan-Asian favorites; a café serving coffees, espressos, lattes, teas, gelato, gelato smoothies and assorted pastries, with a seating area and free Wi-Fi; an event planning center; Apron’s Simple Meals, which will offer two recipes weekly, the ingredients to prepare them, live cooking demonstrations and high-quality cookware; a full-service meat department, including antibiotic- and hormone-free items; a full-service seafood department offering wild-caught and farm-raised product and an expanded sushi counter; and a full-service pharmacy with a drive-thru window, a body care section and specialist; and a HealthNotes Kiosk dispensing information on health solutions, vitamins and supplements.
Privately owned and operated by its 152,000 employees, Publix operates 1,053 stores in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee.