Buckwalter Parkway Publix to open doors next week

Publix Super Markets will open its newest store next week on Buckwalter Parkway, just four miles from its current Bluffton site.

The 45,600-square-foot Publix on Buckwalter Parkway will anchor a new shopping center called the Market at Buckwalter Place.

Interior construction was ongoing at the 13-acre, 79,100-square-foot center this week. Only a few of the additional businesseshave been announced for the center, including Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant,Tip Toe Nails, Dryclean USA, Great Clips and Breland Liquors Too.

The center, at 103 Buckwalter Place Blvd., is near the headquarters of CareCore International and part of the Buckwalter Place mixed-use development. Buckwalter Place is a 93-acre property which will include retail, technology companies, restaurants, mixed-use residential and public areas when competed.

Some planned, stand-alone buildings in the center have not been built yet.

The current Bluffton Publix location, near the intersection of Buck Island Road and U.S. 278, will remain open, said Dwaine Stevens, spokesman for the grocer.

The older store, at 51,420 square feet, is larger than the new one. As for the need for a second location in Bluffton, Stevens said, "We are extremely excited to bring this new location to such a growing and vibrant community.

"Our customers deserve another new location as we continue to grow with the community."

The new Publix will have all of the traditional grocery departments as well as a pharmacy, a bakery, a deli, a floral department and a fresh seafood area, according to Stevens.

The store will employ about 125 people. Regular store hours will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

The Market at Buckwalter Place is being developed by national developer Regency Centers, which has 443 retail projects in the U.S.

Publix has 940 stores in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee.

Both companies chose Buckwalter Place instead of locating along high-traffic U.S. 278, said Tom Zinn, an part owner in Buckwalter Commercial LLC, which is developing Buckwalter Place.

"Publix and Regency both understand the benefit of being near the population masses," Zinn said.

Regency officials did not return phone calls seeking comment on Tuesday. In a press release, the developer cited fast growth in Bluffton as the reason why it developed the center.

Publix will open at 8 a.m. Aug. 21.