BY CHRIS TRAINOR

Midlands residents will soon have a new spot to shop for groceries.

Publix, the popular national supermarket chain, will open a new store at 185 Earth Road in Elgin, near northeast Columbia, at 7 a.m. April 30, according to a release from the company.

The new 47,000-square-foot store will be the anchor of the under-development Market at Spears Creek.

“We are thrilled to continue our growth across the Midlands,” Publix spokesman

Jared Glover said. “We look forward to delivering Publix’s legendary service and quality food as well as being active members in this great community.”

The new retail hub is at the corner of Spears Creek Church Road and Earth Road. That’s near the popular Woodcreek Farms neighborhood, less than a mile east of Clemson Road.

There are roughly 1,450 Publix stores across the U.S., including a half-dozen in the Midlands. The company is headquartered in Florida.

The new Publix in Elgin will employ 140 people, according to the company.

Other businesses are already prepping spots in the Market at Spears Creek shopping plaza. Chicken restaurant Wingstop and Little Caesars pizza are each opening new locations there, with additional spaces in the complex for more businesses.