Publix inks deal for new Charleston-area store; 7 other shops coming to new retail center (2024)

One of the biggest grocery chains in the region plans to expand further by opening a store in a future Berkeley County shopping center, following the lead of several smaller tenants.

Publix has signed a lease for a 48,000-square-foot supermarket at the southwest corner of U.S. Highway 17A and U.S. Highway 176 in the Marketplace at Carnes Crossroads in Goose Creek, a spokesman for the company said Aug. 3.

The store is expected to open in 2025 next to Carnes Crossroads, a 2,300-acre mixed-use housing development that could accommodate about 11,000 residents. Several hundred homes and apartment units are on the ground now.

For Publix, it will be its 17th location in the Charleston area.

The Marketplace at Carnes Crossroads is being built by an Atlanta-based partnership between landowner Columbia Properties Inc. and Worthen Development.

Seven other businesses ranging from a bagel shop to a pet-supply store to a dental practice have already signed leases for space in the retail center, according to Will Sherrod with NAI Charleston. He said the firm is working with several other prospective tenants.

Publix had long been speculated as the likely anchor tenant for a proposed 90,000-square-foot retail center near Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital.

Goose Creek Mayor Greg Habib has been trying to lure a grocery store to serve the Carnes Crossroads vicinity for several years. Rob Wiggins, the city's economic development director, called the commitment by Publix "a game changer" for the area.

"It means the residents around there will have a local supermarket, and they won't have to leave the area and create more traffic on the roads to get their necessities," Wiggins said.

Other grocery stores in that fast-growing part of the county include a Food Lion to the south on Highway 17A near Interstate 26, a Walmart Supercenter to the east on St. James Avenue and a Publix to the west at the Cane Bay development on Highway 176.

Also, Lowes Foods recently finalized a deal to build a 51,000-square-foot supermarket in Nexton, across from the Publix in Cane Bay. It's expected to open in 2025.

Both Publix and Harris Teeter are planning new stores on the southwestern side of Nexton near Summerville and Interstate 26.