News
NBC News to Feature Publix
Published: Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Publix Super Markets' resilience during the recession
Thursday, June 18, 2009
LAKELAND | Publix Super Markets' Lakeland operations will be featured in a segment about the economy on the NBC Nightly News.
An NBC spokeswoman was unable to provide a specific air date, but said the segment should appear next week. Publix spokeswoman Shannon Patten said the report discusses the supermarket industry's resilience during the recession.
"It was really cool. It was a positive piece," she said. An NBC spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.
Analysts say that most supermarkets are performing well as consumers cut back on dining out and also switch to store brand products to save money.
An NBC crew was in Lakeland on Tuesday, filming Publix employees at the Highland City store on U.S. 98 South, as well as the company's dairy processing plant on New Tampa Highway.
The three-man crew filmed Publix cake decorators and meat cutters at the store, and shot footage of the dairy plant's operations, which include milk and ice cream packaging, Patten said.
Patten said the NBC team noted that Publix is continuing to add stores and jobs at a time when many other companies are shutting down or laying off workers.
The Lakeland-based firm, which employs more than 9,300 people at its Polk County stores and operations, has added 17 stores companywide since January.
An article on CNNMoney.com in January listed Publix as one of a handful of U.S. businesses with hundreds of positions to fill.
The article said Publix had more than 900 job openings companywide, from stores to support offices.
The chain currently employs more than 140,000 people total, and operates 1,004 stores across the Southeast (including more than 20 in Polk County).
According to Fortune, Publix has never had a layoff.
Though Publix has had success weathering the recession with aggressive pricing and special offers, it hasn't been immune to the economic pinch.
The chain's earnings slipped to $321.5 million in the first quarter, down 6.3 percent from the year before, as same-store sales fell 2.8 percent.
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