Publix has been the undisputed leader of grocery sales in South Florida for years, with a market share larger than all other competitors combined.
But now Walmart is intent on grabbing a bigger piece of the grocery business, and the battle is on. The retail giant kicked off an aggressive two-year growth plan last year — opening or expanding almost three dozen stores throughout Broward and Palm Beach County neighborhoods — many of them just around the corner from a Publix store.
But while Publix and Walmart vie for shoppers — each bashing the other with "lower-prices'' themes in advertisements — both companies are sticking to their distinct business models, according to Steve Kirn, executive director of the University of Florida's David F. Miller Center for Retailing Education and Research. In the end, consumers are winning, Kim said, because both companies are lowering prices to compete, just in a different way.
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