Dive Brief:
- Publix Super Markets saw strong earnings for its fourth quarter, including a 6.9% boost in sales and a 7.4% increase in net earnings over fourth quarter 2013.
- Fiscal year 2014 brought sales increases for the company as well, including a 5.7% increase in sales overall and a 5.4% jump for comparable-store sales.
- Publix earnings went so well that the company's stock price — stock which is only available to directors and employees — went up from $33.80 per share to $39.05 per share, effective March 1.
Dive Insight:
Publix has to be excited with this earnings report and stock price increase, all of which Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw credits to the company's employees, saying, “Our associates — the owners of Publix — continue to deliver exceptional customer service, the key to our success.” That's no surprise, considering for the last 17 consecutive years, Publix has been on Fortune's list of “100 Best Companies to Work For in America.”
Elsewhere in the food retail space, while Publix has relegated itself to the southeastern part of the country, Kroger could be contemplating a possible expansion to somewhere more tropical — Hawaii — having registered there as a new business last month.