Chattanooga: Publix to open 2 stores in ’08

The slow economy hasn’t changed Publix’s growth plans, an official said, as the retailer is slated to open two stores in Chattanooga by year’s end.

“Because we have plans so far out, we have not changed our growth strategy,” said Brenda Reid, media and community relations director for Publix Super Markets. “We have continued to grow in the Southeast.”

The Hixson Publix should open in early October, said Marlene Green, director of leasing and marketing for Watkins Retail Group, the store’s developer.

The Ooltewah Publix should open in December, Ms. Reid said. Four additional Publix stores are opening this year in the Nashville area, she said. Publix will open 56 stores across the Southeast this year, she said, including the six Tennessee locations.

The Florida-based chain operates a store in East Brainerd by the entrance to Hurricane Creek subdivision. That store, Publix’s first in Chattanooga, opened last December. No additional stores for the Chattanooga area have been announced, Ms. Reid said.

The 54,000-square-foot Publix in Hixson, on Hixson Pike near Cassandra Smith Road, is part of a retail complex called Creek Clips, BiBa’s Italian Restaurant, Chloe Salon and Nails So Happy have signed on as tenants, and will begin opening shortly after Publix is operating, Ms. Green said. Additional stores have expressed interest in the property, she said.

The 45,600-square-foot Ooltewah Publix will be part of a shopping center called Snow Hill Village. The complex has 28,000 square feet of additional space in a strip center, said Samuel Boles, director of First Management Services, a representative for the developer, Southeast U.S. Retail Fund.

Snow Hill Village is at the intersection of Snow Hill and Mountain View roads.

More than 90 percent of the strip center has been leased, Mr. Boles said, but he did not name the tenants. Six outparcels are available at Snow Hill Village, he said. A bank has looked at the site for a possible branch, he said, and he is searching for a restaurant.

“I would love to have a sit-down restaurant on the Mountain View side,” Mr. Boles said.