Take a sneak peek of Publix's new Whitehall Commons store, opening Wednesday (PHOTOS)

Publix Super Markets Inc. continues its march into North Carolina, with the opening of its Whitehall Commons store on Wednesday.

The store at 8120 S. Tryon St. is scheduled to open at 7 a.m.

The Lakeland, Fla.-based grocer says the 46,600-square-foot store will have about 140 employees.

"Our stores are exceeding our expectations and we do expect the same for this store," says Kim Reynolds, spokeswoman.

Publix anticipates the location will receive lunchtime traffic from the neighboring businesses, with people coming in for grab-and-go items and deli subs.

The store also offers an international aisle to help to match the demographics of the area, which include a large Hispanic population.

"We really look to serve our customers by providing what they want," Reynolds says.

The Whitehall location will feature a full-service deli, with a large selection of prepared foods created in-house daily. That includes a hot soup bar and sushi. Custom-made subs can be pre-ordered online.

The produce department will carry organic and conventionally grown fruit. The bakery offers an assortment of cakes, cookies and pies, with bread and rolls made fresh daily. Publix also offers wedding cakes.

The Whitehall Commons store also has wine, full-service meat and seafood departments, as well as a pharmacy.

This location is the third Publix to open this month in the Charlotte region, following stores in Huntersville and Steele Creek.

Since February, the grocer has opened five locations in the state. It has eight total in the Charlotte region, including S.C. locations in York and Lancaster counties.

Publix has disclosed plans for 14 stores in the region. Its Ballantyne store, which opened in February, was the chain's first in North Carolina.

Jennifer Thomas covers retail, health care and education for the Charlotte Business Journal.