Publix is getting a new CEO. He got his start by working at a Margate store.
Another former Publix store clerk will lead the Lakeland-based grocery chain as CEO after Todd Jones steps away from the top company role to become executive chairman of the board.
Jones, who started with Publix in 1980 as a front service clerk in New Smyrna Beach, starts his new post on Jan. 1, according to a news release from the company.
Kevin Murphy, currently Publix’s president, will take over as CEO.
Murphy got his start with Publix in 1984, also as a front service clerk in Margate. He became a store manager in 1995. After holding other leadership roles, he became senior vice president of retail operations in 2016 and president in 2019.
Senior Vice President John Goff will replace Murphy as president.
“We are delighted to have leaders with the experience of Kevin and John who are ready to take the next steps in their careers,” Jones said in a news release. “I am confident in their ability to lead our company into the future and to continue to make Publix a great place to shop for our customers and a great place to work for our associates.”
Publix typically chooses internal candidates for high-level positions, said retired supermarket analyst David Livingston.
“They promote from within,” Livingston said. “They’re a preferred employer. They have good people.”
Today, Publix has 1,358 stores. In its most recent earnings report, the employee-owned company said sales in the quarter ending Sept. 30 were up 7.2% to $14 billion.