Publix has been steadily expanding its headquarters to keep pace with the exponential expansion of stores. They recently acquired a 120,000 square-foot building to house their technology teams.
George Jenkins believed in giving associates ownership in his company, which they do through an employee stock purchase plan. This creates a powerful motivation to provide top-rated service.
Building History
Jenkins championed high-quality products and customer service over price and productivity. He was among the first in his industry to advertise that shopping at Publix stores was an enjoyable experience; and he prioritized employee satisfaction by promoting nearly exclusively from within, giving employees great control over their sections and giving employees plenty of room for personal autonomy.
In 1950, Lakeland Warehouse outgrew its original structure and purchased land to construct a larger complex on. This innovative warehouse featured strong forms with natural concrete color for maximum efficiency; making it one of the country’s largest and most efficient warehouses at that time.
Through the 1960s, Publix expanded rapidly. By 1965, its footprint had spread into lesser-developed parts of Florida, reaching 114 stores. Also in 1965, they established a perishables warehouse near Fort Lauderdale to supply stores in Jacksonville and Tallahassee with supplies.
Publix transformed its marketing and merchandising strategies during the 1970s in response to shifting consumer needs, eliminating S & H Green Stamps and being one of the first major grocery stores to install machine checkout systems that allowed customers to scan items themselves before paying at a central cashier station. They also launched Photo Lab services allowing people to purchase photos of their groceries and have them printed immediately upon payment.
Building Expansions
Publix Super Markets announced plans to expand their corporate headquarters building in Lakeland by creating 700 jobs by expanding by 190,000 square feet by 2027 and designing it in line with their original facility’s architecture.
The Lakeland grocery chain currently employs 1,200 people and continues to experience explosive growth since opening its current headquarters in 2001. Since that time, they have expanded into three additional states and doubled sales while opening hundreds of new stores.
As part of its preparations for expansion, Kroger is also upgrading its technology systems through Project Horizon. Under this endeavor, which was announced back in August by local news website LkldNow, approximately $40 million will be invested into constructing a new data center that will occupy one of the recently purchased former FedEx buildings, according to LkldNow reports.
The new location will house the IT department for all grocers under its ownership. Prior to its relocation, IT employees of this grocer were spread among several downtown buildings, such as Bank of America building, former JC Penney store building and two and half floors of The Ledger building.
Building Renovations
Publix has taken an aggressive stance toward technology and innovation. Their latest project involves an IT campus in downtown Lakeland whose construction is being supported by performance-based state and local incentives coordinated through Enterprise Florida; to qualify for those incentives, Publix must create 700 high-paying jobs by creating them themselves.
Grocery store Kroger has not provided many details of its planned tech hub, other than it will occupy an acquired former FedEx building of 140,000 square feet that they plan to convert into an IT workers hub and enhance omnichannel capabilities.
Publix will make the best use of its resources by choosing to build its new IT campus using both existing and newly renovated buildings on its corporate complex, as well as renovate other structures to accommodate employees and equipment that will join it.
Other enhancements will include a renovation of the main entrance from Drane Field Road to the headquarters, featuring new entryways, landscaping features and other enhancements designed to increase security and visibility, according to a news release from the city.
Publix anticipates completion of their project by 2021 at an approximate cost of $8.5 million, investing further in technology improvements such as upgrading their information technology platform for enhanced digital experiences like mobile-friendly websites and personalized online shopping carts.
Building Upgrades
Publix Grocery Stores have been leading the charge towards innovation in retail by upgrading their campus and hiring employees who will lead it forward. They’re taking steps such as adopting automation and artificial intelligence technologies in order to increase productivity and efficiency while taking advantage of third-party home delivery services like Instacart to offer customers even greater convenience.
Grocer’s latest expansion will add 190,000 square feet to their Lakeland headquarters and house 700 additional employees. Governor Rick Scott attended the announcement along with Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz and other city leaders. Additionally, this building will include open workspace and dining areas for employees as well as conference facilities and fitness rooms.
Additionally, the company plans to renovate a downtown Lakeland building constructed in 2001. Once renovated, this renovation will provide space for more information technology workers as compared to leased offices throughout Lakeland such as The Ledger on Lime Street or former J.C. Penney building on Kentucky Avenue where current IT workers reside.
The new building will act as an incubator for top IT talent, drawing young employees who wish to join Publix’s innovative team and leverage employee-ownership as an advantage in attracting more talent and forging partnerships with universities, tech companies and other employers of choice.
