The first Publix in Northern Kentucky is nearing its highly anticipated opening date.
Publix and Boone County officials celebrated the store’s completion at a grand opening ceremony on Monday. Throughout the event, workers actively stock shelves and fill produce displays in preparation for the supermarket’s Wednesday opening date.
“I hope that after this event, you walk away with a greater understanding of the people, the products, the services, and truly the culture that makes Publix special and a place where shopping is a pleasure,” said Publix Community Relations Manager Kim Reynolds.
The supermarket, located at 420 Richwood Rd. in Walton, near the Triple Crown subdivision, is 55,701 square feet and boasts an adjacent Publix Liquors that offers beer, wine, and spirits. The Publix campus also features an annex mall with Chipotle and Great Clips. The Publix is less than a mile from Interstate 75, which makes it a prime location for travelers.
The Florida-based supermarket chain is a staple in southern towns and oceanside tourist communities throughout Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. Publix is perhaps most famous for its Pub Sub sandwiches, which can be ordered at the in-store deli.
Many of the Richwood Road Publix employees are local to Northern Kentucky. The supermarket hosted a hiring event in January in anticipation of the store’s opening. Some store managers and department heads relocated from other states, such as North Carolina.
Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore noted that the supermarket is located where several residential communities come together, notably Florence, Union and Walton. County officials had long seen the 13-acre site as a potential commercial zone.
“I saw some people from Triple Crown development as I was walking in, and I know this site has sat here since like 1988, as a commercial zone, but the plan all along was to develop the community (Triple Crown), and then the services would come,” Moore said.
Over the past two years, grocer has pursued aggressive expansion into Northern Kentucky. Four other Publix supermarkets are currently under development in the region: Cold Spring, Hebron, Independence and Florence. The Richwood Road Publix is the company’s third store in Kentucky behind only Louisville and Lexington.
Regarding other Northern Kentucky Publix store sizes, Regional Manager Kris Crapo said that each supermarket is tailored to meet an individual community’s needs.
“Each community is going to be served differently, it’s really about the size of the lot,” Crapo said.
The store’s hours of operation will be from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. Find more information at the grocer’s website.
