Publix to Open Northernmost Location With New 50K-SF Lease in NoVA

Beloved Southern supermarket chain Publix is slowly but surely creeping up the East Coast, with its northernmost location now slated for the DMV.

The Lakeland, Fla.-based chain inked a 50,325-square-foot anchor lease at Saul Centers’ Ashland Square development, at the corners of Dumfries Road and Spriggs Road in Manassas, Va. The real estate investment trust’s roughly 125,000-square-foot development is set to open in mid-2027, though it was not immediately clear when Publix will cut the ribbon. The Burn first reported the news. 

Publix, the largest employee-owned company in the U.S. with over 1,400 locations, said the new Manassas store would employ about 150 associates. Representatives for Publix did not immediately respond to a request for comment or more information. A spokesperson for Saul Centers declined to comment. 

Founded nearly 100 years ago, the supermarket chain has the strongest foothold by far in the Sunshine State with about 900 locations. Yet Publix has grown across much of the Southeast, including in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and most recently Kentucky. The chain operates 24 locations in Virginia, mostly in the Hampton Roads and Richmond area, though it opened a storefront in Stafford County in 2020. 

Yet Publix isn’t content to just ink new leases. The chain purchased at least six shopping centers in South Florida in 2024 where it was previously a tenant, including in Coral Springs, Davie, Palm Beach County and Miami-Dade County. The deals together totaled more than $200 million, but the buying spree has not seemed to extend into 2025 just yet. 

Nick Trombola can be reached at ntrombola@commercialobserver.com.