Publix Closes More Stores in 2026 as Walmart Competition, Rising Costs and Online Grocery Shopping Bite: Here are the Locations Affected

Publix is closing several supermarkets in 2026 even as quarterly sales rise, but the moves appear to reflect routine pruning and redevelopment rather than a broad retreat by the employee-owned grocery chain.

Closures Target Four Existing Supermarket Locations Inc.com, in a report on Wednesday, identified four locations that have closed this year.

These include outlets at 5577 Park St.

N. in St.

Petersburg, Florida; 8250 Mills Drive in Miami; 1380 Atlantic Drive NW in Atlanta; and 2562 Shallowford Road NE in Chamblee, Georgia.

Two additional stores are tied to redevelopment projects that call for the replacement of Publix supermarkets, including outlets at 4711 Babcock St.

NE in Palm Bay, Florida, and at 208 Saint James Ave. in Goose Creek, South Carolina.

Publix has described that approach as normal.

In its latest annual filing, the company said it "replaces supermarkets and closes supermarkets that are not meeting performance expectations." Publix opened 52 stores, including 13 replacements, remodeled 89 and closed 10 during 2025.

Six of those closures were scheduled for on-site replacements.

Read Also: Costco Is '60% Cheaper Than Traditional Grocery,' Says JPMorgan—And The Price War Is Getting One-Sided Sales Rise Despite Lower Quarterly Earnings The closures come despite higher revenue.

Publix reported first-quarter sales of $16.1 billion, up 2% from a year earlier, although comparable-store sales were flat.

Net earnings fell 21.5% to $794 million, largely because of unrealized investment losses.

Excluding those market swings, earnings declined 3% to $1.14 billion.

Publix operated 1,434 stores and employed more than 260,000 people as of May.

The selective closures fit a broader 2026 retail reset that has put hundreds of U.S. locations on closure lists.

Publix’s filing also identifies supercenters, warehouse clubs, dollar stores and online retailers as competitors.

Competition Drives A Broader Retail Reset That places Publix against Walmart Inc.’s (NASDAQ: WMT ) continued market-share gains and a rapidly changing digital grocery market.

The Associated Press reported earlier this year that Walmart controls about 21% of U.S. grocery sales, compared with 8.5% for Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR ), whose e-commerce sales recently rose 17%.

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN ) has also closed its Amazon Fresh and Go stores while planning to open more than 100 Whole Foods stores and expand same-day delivery.

That follows its push toward ultrafast grocery delivery.

For Publix, rebuilding the Palm Bay and Goose Creek locations would preserve its presence in those markets while replacing existing buildings.

Closing weaker stores while continuing to open replacements lets the chain direct capital toward locations with stronger long-term prospects.

Read Also: Walmart Founder Sam Walton Built a Successful Store Early on, but Missing the Fine Print Cost Him Dearly: Here's a Painful Lesson That Everyone Can Learn From Him Image via Shutterstock