Change is never easy. But sometimes change is necessary.
Such is the case with Publix Supermarkets. Publix has long been an institution in Tucker, with two stores within the city limits (Briarcliff Village and The Centre on Hugh Howell). Stores require upkeep, especially as they age, and leadership with Publix realized that their Hugh Howell location was a quarter-century old. They could renovate the store, as rival Kroger did several years ago with their Cofer Crossing location, but the company realized that it would simply be more cost effective in this case to build a brand new store.
Enter Hugh Howell Marketplace. The new shopping center on the old Sears site at the intersection of Hugh Howell Road and Mountain Industrial Boulevard is the newest, biggest redevelopment in the City of Tucker and it has attracted some exciting new tenants from Antico Pizza and Buffalo Wild Wings to service-oriented businesses like The Joint Chiropractic. But no business will have a bigger footprint in the new development than Publix. The anchor tenant for Hugh Howell Marketplace, Publix opened to great fanfare on February 23, simultaneously shutting down their location about a half-mile to the west. Customers lined up outside for hours to be first in line for the 7 a.m. opening. What they found when they finally got inside was far from a disappointment: a brand new, clean, fully stocked store complete with Publix team members who were ready to assist them. Each shopper was greeted by the store manager, who gave them flowers as they walked through the doors.
Publix now boasts over 1,700 locations across the United States of America. The newest one? For the time being, it’s right here in the City of Tucker.
