Publix plans significant store change customers will soon notice

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.

Here are the Publix locations closing in 2026:

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)

2562 Shallowford Road NE, Chamblee, GA, 30341

1380 Atlantic Drive NW, Atlanta, GA, 30363

208 Saint James Avenue, Goose Creek, SC, 29445 (redevelopment; will be rebuilt) Source: Inc.

208 Saint James Avenue, Goose Creek, SC, 29445 (redevelopment; will be rebuilt)

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.