Jeff Chamberlain, senior vice president of real estate and facilities at Publix Super Markets, plans to retire at the end of this year after 47 years at the company.
No successor has been named for Chamberlain, Publix spokeswoman Maria Brous said Tuesday. She added that the Lakeland, Fla.-based grocer’s vice president of real estate assets, vice president of real estate strategy and vice president of facilities will assume his functions.
The 63-year-old Chamberlain (left) started his career at Publix in 1972 as a front service clerk in the Satellite Beach, Fla., store. After working in various roles at several stores in Brevard County, he was promoted to store manager in 1983.
Chamberlain transferred to the real estate department in 1991, serving as manager for north Florida and south Georgia. Then in 1999, he was promoted to director of real estate market strategy, followed by another promotion in 2011 to vice president of real estate. He became senior vice president of real estate and facilities in 2017.
“Jeff has made significant contributions to Publix, particularly in our expansion into newer market areas,” Publix CEO Todd Jones said in a statement. “Throughout his career, he has trained, mentored and developed his team and those around him. We wish him the very best as he begins the next chapter of his life.”
Employee-owned Publix, which generated sales of $36.1 billion last year, currently operates 1,227 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. That includes the retailer’s first small-format GreenWise Market stores, opened in Tallahassee, Fla.; Mount Pleasant, S.C.; and Mountain Brook, Ala. Another eight are planned, including six in Florida and one apiece in Lexington, S.C., and Marietta, Ga.
