First Northern Kentucky Publix opens its doors in Walton

Wednesday morning, the first Publix supermarket opened in Northern Kentucky.It’s located at the Triple Crown Shopping Center on Richwood Road in Walton.Prior to the ribbon being cut, workers were stocking shelves and putting the finishing touches ahead of the grand opening.The Florida-based supermarket chain is making their way into Kroger’s territory.Over 55,000 square feet, the store has a food court-style section, a bar with on-tap beers, soda, coffee, a bakery and a deli where they produce one of the things they’re most known for, “Pub Subs.”It’s one of five stores planned for Northern Kentucky over the next two years, with locations coming in Florence, Hebron, Independence and Cold Spring.The Walton location is the third Publix store in Kentucky, joining locations in Lexington and Louisville.When it comes to pricing, a store representative said Publix is ready to compete with its Cincinnati-based neighbor.As to plans for future expansion, perhaps north of the Ohio River, Publix said that its focus right now is their expansion into Northern Kentucky.