Publix supermarket announces first Durham location

DURHAM, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Publix supermarket announced Wednesday that its first Durham location will be at the corner of Guess Road and Latta Road.

The store is scheduled to open in 2018.

The supermarket chain said it has "executed a lease" on a location at what will be North River Village. In a followup Thursday, the company said the location is pending rezoning.

The store will be approximately 45,000 square feet and will employ about 140 people.

The closest current Publix stores to Durham are two locations in Cary, one at 1020 Bradford Plaza Way and the other at 3480 Kildaire Farm Road.

Publix has a third location in the Triangle in Wake Forest, at 1030 Forestville Road.

Publix was founded in 1930 in Winter Haven, Florida and is now the largest employee-owned grocery chain in the United States.