LAKELAND, Fla. — Publix Super Markets Inc. is expanding into Virginia, which will be the employee-owned food and drug chain’s seventh state.

Publix said on Tuesday that it has signed two leases for stores in the greater Richmond area. The Bristol store will measure 54,000 square feet and will be located at the northeast corner of Lee Highway and Clear Creek Road in Washington County. The Glen Allen store, 49,000 square feet, will be located at the northeast corner of Nuckols Road and Twin Hickory Road in Henrico County.

Grand opening dates have yet to be determined, but Publix said the Bristol store is tentatively slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2017, with the Glen Allen store to follow in 2018.

“Being company owners, our associates continue to work diligently to exceed our customers’ expectations, which has allowed Publix to experience continued growth,” Publix chief executive officer Ed Crenshaw said in a statement. “As we enter new markets and continue to open new stores, our associates prepare for new opportunities which supports our culture of promotion from within. We look forward to providing the great state of Virginia with the high-quality service and products that our customers have come to expect and that have earned us recognition throughout the industry.”

Publix last announced plans to expand across state lines in September 2012, when it said was making a long-awaited move into North Carolina. It opened its first store in that state in in February 2014. The company said it’s “looking ahead to aggressive growth within the state” as well as in other states where it now operates. Overall, the retailer has 1,111 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North and South Carolina.

With its expansion into new markets, Publix also brings new competition to pharmacy operators. The supermarket chain is North America’s 11th largest retail pharmacy operator by pharmacy count, with about 970 pharmacies. Its pharmacies are typically rated near the top in customer satisfaction among brick-and-mortar pharmacies in J.D. Power & Associates’ annual pharmacy study.