Publix is making a significant change to its store footprint as it struggles to win over customers.
The grocery chain’s comparable store sales declined 0.5% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, according to a press release. Publix attributed the sales drop to “the impact of the MFP (maximum fair price) change” in the Medicare drug pricing program and “economic conditions impacting consumer spending.”
In a recent Grocery Dive report, Neil Saunders, a retail analyst and managing director of GlobalData Retail, said Publix is operating in a challenging grocery retail environment.
“I think what we can discern is that Publix overall, including in core grocery, is fairly soft, and I think that does raise some questions around whether the proposition is still delivering, whether consumer behaviors are changing,” said Saunders.
“That is very much in line with what a lot of other mainstream grocery stores are seeing, so I think there’s definitely a dynamic there that’s unfavorable for Publix.”
Publix continues store closures across several states
Against this backdrop, Publix continues to close stores nationwide, according to a recent Inc. report.
Publix currently operates more than 1,440 stores across eight states in the southeast. It mostly operates in Florida with over 900 locations, accounting for roughly 62% of its store footprint.
The retailer routinely shuts down locations that are underperforming or those that have an older layout that needs a modern replacement.
Related: Publix struggles to reverse concerning customer behavior
Here are the Publix locations closing in 2026:
Florida
- 8250 Mills Drive, Miami, FL, 33183
- 5577 Park Street N., St. Petersburg, FL, 33709
- 4711 Babcock Street NE, Palm Bay, FL, 32905 (redevelopment; will be rebuilt)
- 828 Southern Boulevard, West Palm Beach, FL, 33405 (redevelopment; will be rebuilt)
Georgia
- 2562 Shallowford Road NE, Chamblee, GA, 30341
- 1380 Atlantic Drive NW, Atlanta, GA, 30363
South Carolina
- 208 Saint James Avenue, Goose Creek, SC, 29445 (redevelopment; will be rebuilt)
- Source: Inc.
The new Publix store closures come after the company has made several significant changes in its stores in recent months that have sparked reactions from shoppers.
In March, the grocer ended support for Publix Pay, its contactless in-app payment option, prompting some customers to criticize the decision. Two months later, an update to its open-carry policy prompted calls for a boycott after the company requested that only law enforcement openly carry firearms in stores.
In August, Publix also began eliminating the 10-items-or-less limit at express checkout lanes in its Florida stores, a change that received mixed reactions from shoppers.
Publix faces growing pressure as shoppers seek savings
As Publix continues to make significant store changes, the grocery chain is facing increased competition from lower-priced retailers.
Numerator data shared with TheStreet shows Walmart leading the grocery market with 20.3% market share in the 12 months ended June 30, up 0.3 percentage points from the previous year.
Costco ranked second at 8.3% market share, up from 7.9% a year earlier, while Kroger placed third at 8.3% market share. Albertsons followed at 4.5%, and Publix ranked fifth at 4.1%, unchanged from the same time period in 2025.
While Publix trails several major grocery competitors in market share, consumers are increasingly adjusting their shopping habits to save money. A recent survey by Iridio found that 86% of U.S. Gen Z consumers have reduced or eliminated spending due to grocery costs, compared with 81% of millennial consumers.
Also, 42% of consumers regularly visit multiple grocery stores to hunt for the lowest prices, while 29% are making fewer, smaller grocery shopping trips.
“We’ve reached a tipping point where saving money on food has become a second job for many households,” said Beth Johnson, a grocery retail expert and director of vertical strategy at RRD, in the survey release.
“Consumers are willing to trade their personal data, time, and brand loyalty, but only if retailers give them tangible, real-time value in return,” she added. “The brands that win tomorrow will be those that solve this efficiency crisis for shoppers on the shelf.”
Related: Publix faces customer backlash over an unusual discount policy
