Happy birthday, Publix: 9 things to know about the Florida-born grocery chain

ORLANDO, Fla. — Happy birthday, Publix! The Florida-born grocery chain turns 93 on Wednesday.

To celebrate, Channel 9 compiled 9 things to know about the grocer:

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1. George W. Jenkins founded Publix in 1930 in Winter Haven.

2. Publix is the largest employee-owned company in the United States.

3. The grocer employs over 250,000 people.

Read: Publix: Services animals allowed; pets, including emotional support animals, not

4. There are currently 1,351 store locations including:

Alabama (88 stores)
Florida (859 stores)
Georgia (208 stores)
North Carolina (53 stores)
South Carolina (69 stores)
Tennessee (55 stores)
Virginia (19 stores)

Read: Publix to not make hurricane cakes this year

Exterior of the first Publix location Here's a look at the original Publix store in Winter Haven in 1940. (State Archives of Florida)

Exterior of the first Publix location The first Publix location in Winter Haven in 1946 became the first in the U.S. to be fully air conditioned and have automatic doors. (State Archives of Florida)

Publix produce section in Lakeland 1959 Here's a look at the Publix produce section at a Lakeland store in 1959. (State Archives of Florida)

Inside the original Publix location in 1940 Check out the 11-cent canned goods inside the original Winter Haven Publix in 1940. (State Archives of Florida)

Inside the original Publix location in 1940 The original Publix location in Winter Haven's bakery offered goods for 20 cents. (State Archives of Florida)

George Jenkins Publix Founder George Jenkins inside a Polk County store in 1961. (State Archives of Florida)

Inside a St. Petersburg Publix in 1961 Registers did not beep at Publix registers in 1961. (State Archives of Florida)

Inside the original Publix in Winter Haven See inside the original Publix in Winter Haven in 1940. (State Archives of Florida)

Publix produce section 1940 See inside the Publix produce section at the original Winter Haven store in 1940. (State Archives of Florida)

Publix opens new store in Melbourne Publix opens at Lake Washington Crossing Shopping Center in Melbourne. (Publix)

New Publix opens in Brevard County (Publix)

Publix opens new grocery store in Orlando Publix Super Markets opened a new store Thursday at Town Center at O-Town West in Orlando. (Publix Super Markets /Publix Super Markets)

Beer at Publix Source: Publix (Cami Butler)

5. In 2022, Publix officials said its retail sales reached $54.5 billion.

6. In addition to being known for the place where “shopping is a pleasure,” the grocer is also known for its trademark large, old-school scales at each store entrance. The scales, the company wrote, reflect the expensive, bulky appliances that were not common household items nearly a century ago. George Jenkins saw an opportunity to place a brand-new personal weight scale in the first Publix Super Market for customers to use at no cost.

Read: Scale-ing back: Could Publix historic scales soon be a thing of the past?

7. The much-adored Pub Sub made its debut, along with fried chicken, in the 1990s. Publix officials said the first custom “sub shop” and sandwich menu board was found at store #33 in Marietta, Georgia, in 1992. The Publix fried chicken recipe first hit the fryers in Atlanta Division stores in the late 1990s and eventually rolled out companywide.

8. According to the Publix website, in the 1940s, Publix supermarkets only carried a limited amount of bakery items, some provided by suppliers and others baked in the store. In the 1950s, George Jenkins approached Emmett Lundy, owner of Lundy’s Bakery, to supply local Publix stores with fresh-baked goods on a consistent basis. When Lundy retired in 1951, George Jenkins bought Lundy’s company and continued to supply the local Publix stores from this central bakery.

Read: ‘I cried with happiness’: Boy learns words in Russian, writes card for Orlando Publix bakery worker

9. In 1957, the first Publix Danish Bakery store opened in the Southgate Shopping Center in Lakeland located next to the store. Publix officials said adjacent bakeries also opened in other locations, eventually moving inside the actual store as a bakery department. During the 1970s and 1980s, Publix said it opened just as many bakeries as it did grocery stores.

Publix opens new grocery store in Orlando Publix Super Markets opened a new store Thursday at Town Center at O-Town West in Orlando. (Publix Super Markets /Publix Super Markets)

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