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Going Publix: although close to the vest, Publix Super Markets is far from shy when it comes to satisfying its shoppers'' demands for product quality, variety and enhancing meat safety.

Article Excerpt
Do some consumers actually shop at certain supermarkets based solely or primarily on the stores" meat and poultry offerings? Maybe, maybe not. But there's no denying these products and related services are critical in luring shoppers back to stores again and again--as well as attracting new customers.

If you slice beneath the surface of Lakeland, FL-based Publix Super Markets Inc.'s continuing financial success with a scalpel, it becomes obvious its meat and poultry offerings do play a key role in fueling its ongoing forward momentum. Publix sells a wide range of fresh and processed meat and poultry products touting national brands and strong regional brands, as well as irradiated meat and poultry products--and store-brand products under its Publix private-label brand, which includes a variety of meat, as well as sandwiches, platters, and dinners from its deli.

Onward and upward

Publix, a Fortune 500 company with $15.9 billion in sales for the fiscal year ending Dec. 28, 2002, operates more than 740 stores in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee. As the number of stores and states Publix operates in increase, so do sales and earnings. Publix' most recent annual sales figure is up 4.2 percent from the year-earlier period. Net earnings for 2002 hit $632.4 million, up from the $530.4 million achieved for 2001. And earnings per share for 2002 increased to $3.25, up from $2.62 in 2001.

Know your customer

Its wide range of products and services are critical components of this secretive company's plan for continuing growth.

"They play everything very close to the vest, but I don't think anybody in the business knows more about their customers than Publix does," says Mark Albright, business writer for the St. Petersburg Times who has covered Publix past 15 years. "They do tons of research. They don't mind taking chances and calculated risks. They're dealing with a higher margin [around three percent] compared to the industry average. If you have a higher margin, you must be doing something right to make you a dominant player."

"Publix has always been pretty good about being on the cutting edge without being on the bleeding edge," adds Kevin Coupe, owner and editor of MorningNewsBeat.com, based in Darien, CT.

Publix company leaders recognize their business can't rest on its oars and remain profitable.

"For years, without leaving the state of Florida, Publix was always one of the top-ten retailers in the country in terms of size," Coupe says. "In recent months, it has started to spread out. They understand as a marketplace becomes more competitive, they can't afford to just sit there and defend their turf; they have to be aggressive [and grow]."

Charlie Jenkins Jr., Publix chief executive officer, explained last year that as Publix entered its fifth state--Tennessee--why it entered the Nashville market by purchasing seven Albertsons supermarkets.

"Our philosophy has...

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